Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean is viewed as the best tall defender in the 2025 AFL Draft class.
Dean's stock soared during a blistering National Championships for Vic Country, averaging 15 disposals and six marks, routinely intercepting opposition forward entries with his confidence to fly, and then showing a willingness to take the game on by foot.
He reads the high ball coming inside 50 early too, and innately understands when to peel off, float across, and either lay a spoil or take a big contested mark.
Critically, alongside his intercepting stardom, Dean has also shown an ability to lock down direct opponents, with his game opposed to Sydney Academy's Max King in the National Championships being his crowning achievement in that area.
Dean has a great athletic profile too, with speed to stay with mobile marking forwards, the evasiveness to step through traffic, and a great vertical leap which allows him to take the ball at its highest point.
The son of premiership Blue Peter Dean, Harry is set for Ikon Park and Carlton fans will hope he and Harry O'Farrell can be the key defenders of the next generation. Even during the Blues' couple of finals runs in recent years, they've probably lacked a second quality tall to lock down opposition spearheads alongside Jacob Weitering.
Coming into the season, Dean was something of an unknown quantity for those from outside the industry, given basketball commitments limited his exposure to the talent pathway. But he's made every post a winner in 2025, being one of just four players to average more than seven marks per game at the Coates Talent League level to go with 17 disposals as he has been forced to absorb plenty of pressure in a Murray Bushrangers outfit that won just four games.
Blues fans have been crying out for a tall defender for a long, long time, and Harry Dean is answering the call.
| 7 RANK |  | Harry Dean Murray Bushrangers Defender HEIGHT: 193cm | â–¶+ |
Strengths
One-On-One
Intercepting
Decision-Making
Draft Range
Pick 5-15
Landing Spots
Carlton (Matched Bid)
