On the first day of every month throughout 2025, Craft of the Draft will drop an updated and expanded prospect power rankings, taking into consideration a combination of form and potential.
May's edition is the second released, with three club-linked players occupying the top five, and Geelong co-captain Josh Lindsay the prime mover after a big start to the season.
There are also several new names in the mix who have started the season impressively, with the May list up to 15 names from the 13 in April.
Others in the mix: Western Australian midfielder Fred Rodriguez was exceptionally unlucky to miss the cut after a quiet start to the season, albeit all but one of his games have come against senior bodies as he's been given league exposure in the WAFL and played in the AFL Academy series. Collingwood Academy tall Zac McCarthy is starting to gain some momentum after delivering on the pre-season hype as an athletic, hard-running centre-half-forward. Fellow Pies-linked player Tom McGuane is also in the mix, as is Gold Coast Academy member Beau Addinsall. Essendon-linked duo Hussien El Achkar and Adam Sweid have both risen after producing consistently high output to start 2025. Others to rise sharply early in the season include Sandringham midfielder Rory Wright, Bendigo forward-mid Hunter Wright, Eastern interceptor Xavier Taylor, and fellow Ranges player Lachy Dovaston, who has settled as a small forward. Fremantle NGA prospect Toby Whan is also in the conversation after starting 2025 in hot form, as is Richmond father-son midfield prospect Louis Kellaway.
5. Willem Duursma (+2)
Gippsland Power, Utility
Moves up two spots to the number five position - and is prominent in Pick 1 conversations given both his talent and that many of those considered in a similar rung are club-linked.
Put forward a virtuoso performance in Round 1, running rampant in the midfield for Gippsland and showing off his flashy skills and athleticism.
Overall, had a quieter AFL Academy series, though it's hard to read too much into those performances given he filled the role of a man-on-man defender against bigger bodies, and his output did improve in game two, where he offered his trademark run and chiselling kicking.
By the time November rolls around, he will be a true draft chameleon, having filled just about every role on the footy field, with midfield set to be his primary spot at the Talent League level in 2025.
Given questions over his strength in the contest, the success of his time in the engine room when given physical attention will be an important factor in determining how high he ends up.
