There is one week remaining until the first day of the 2026 AFL National Draft and the rumour mill is reaching fever-pitch.
Find out some of the latest whispers doing the rounds in the industry below.
- Melbourne is a fascinating club to try and read ahead of AFL Draft night. The Demons have been strongly linked to Mitch Harris with their first selection of the AFL Draft after trading up to Pick 4 and needing a successor for Jake Lever and the now retired Steven May. If overlooked here, Harris is almost certain to be selected either by Sydney or Richmond - despite less talk linking the Tigers with Harris, he is a live chance there if things fall a certain way at the top of the draft. If the Dees bypass Harris, Arki Butler and Harry Van Hattum are other options if they are available.
- Kodah Edwards is one who has somewhat slid in recent times despite possessing elite hands and stoppage craft but has interest from a range of clubs who have selections between picks 25-40, most notably Essendon. There is a view midfielders who are not viewed in the top echelon can sometimes slide but he has enough dynamism forward of the footy to be selected in this range.
- Essendon is viewed as the start of Western Australian forward Harvey Spawton-Guy's range. Spawton-Guy has been linked to the Bombers in recent days who have considered key position reinforcement at either end. Carlton is another club which has considered Spawton-Guy, alongside Port Adelaide, which has several selections in his range on night two.
- Spawton-Guy is not the only tall to have been linked to the Blues, with Jack Slattery and Brady Wright in their mix as they grapple with whether to target a tall or small forward with their first open pool selection. Many of best small forwards likely to be available in their range are club-tied - Finlay Yeo (Fremantle), Khaled El Souki (Western Bulldogs) and Keenan Boi (Hawthorn) but Blues supporter Marcus Prasad will also be on the board and Marlon Neocleous is likely another option.
- There is growing noise Hawthorn could target an outside mover or half-back with their first selection, with Billy Wigmore increasingly linked. The Hawks' selection is viewed as the start of Wigmore's range, while Harry Chapman and Lachie Hicks also in their mix. The Hawks will hope Keenan Boi slides past their first selection so they can take their preferred talent before matching a bid on their Academy-linked small forward. West Coast is some chance to place a bid on Boi with their first selection on night two but if they overlook him, he will likely not get a bid until after Hawthorn's selection.
- Regardless whether or not West Coast select Arki Butler on night one, the Eagles are expected to select a small forward with their first selection on night two, with Hawthorn-tied Keenan Boi and his Gippsland teammate Marlon Neocleous and Gabe Patterson among those who could be in the mix.
- Koby Lecras' range is a difficult one to get a read on after an ACL sprain truncated his year but he showed promise as a well-sized half forward. He has been linked to Sydney's second round selections if he is available as a dynamic front-half marking threat.
- Richmond has been linked to a small forward with their first selection on night two, with this masthead previously linking them with Morrish Medallist Harvie Cooke. Cooke could be an ideal pairing with close mate Harry Van Hattum if the Tigers select the ruck, but they are also considering George Dimer who can play as either a role-playing high forward or front and centre crumber.
- Jake Eime could be somewhat of an AFL Draft slider if Adelaide overlook him at Pick 15. Discussed as a top 20 talent for much of the year, Fremantle is an outside chance of selecting him late on night one if the Crows bypass him, otherwise the smooth-moving speedster is more likely to end up as a selection somewhere through the mid-20s with fellow local club Port Adelaide having done work on him.
- Gus Teixeira's range is viewed as anywhere between Richmond's second selection and Gold Coast's first pick. The uncertainty around Richmond will create a domino effect around this area of the AFL Draft.
- George Gale has garnered interest from Port Adelaide and West Coast and is viewed as a player likely to start his career as a winger who generates transition and can take a strong mark. Gale has also been linked with Adelaide but it is a stretch to see them using their night one selection on him and he likely will not fall to their second selection.
- Western Bulldogs have explored several half-backs as potential pickups late in the AFL National Draft. The Dogs do not enter the AFL Draft until Pick 42, which will be even later if, as expected, they match a bid on small forward Khaled El Souki. Among those in their consideration are Sam Tassone, Wil Antrobus and Archie Spencer. The Dogs have also been keen for some time on VFL team of the year player Jack Riding.
- Kai Parker is an interesting option for clubs to consider late in the AFL National Draft. The 189cm explosive defender has Indigenous heritage - from the Yorta Yorta tribe, like Cody Walker - so is eligible as a Category B Indigenous rookie under the new rules introduced this year. He has spoken to nine clubs and battled a shoulder injury, which eventually cut short his year, and glandular fever this season, but in between showed upside as a player capable of locking down and generating offence. Given the interest that would likely exist from a range of clubs to add him as a Category B rookie, he may be selected late in the National Draft for a club keen to avoid a bidding war.
- GWS is considering a key-position talent on night two of the AFL Draft. As previously reported, the Giants are considering selecting Xavier Ladbrook, with Brady Wright also in their calculations as support for former GWV Rebels teammate Aaron Cadman.
- Fremantle has been linked to Sydney Academy prospect Mason McGroder with their second selection. The Swans are likely to match a bid on the raw athlete who recently chose footy over pursuing an Olympic career, but the Dockers have done work on the key defender and are expected to keep the Swans honest and place a bid.
