Ethan Drever has established himself as a bona fide Pick 1 contender in 2026.
Power. Pace. Balance. A game-breaker who relishes the big moments.
In the most even open-pool pick one races of a generation, Drever sits comfortably alongside Arki Butler, Harry Van Hattum, Heath Mellody and Gus Teixeira as options for Essendon to consider.
“Coming into the season, I knew if I played good footy I could be one of the top players, but after the first few rounds I knew I could push myself right up,” Drever told Zero Hanger.
“Since then I've just tried to play consistent footy and take it as it comes and not try and get ahead of myself, which I think has been a massive part of me.”
Momentum is growing for both him and Heath Mellody at the very top of the tree, and if he were selected first, he would follow Aaron Cadman in 2022 from the Rebels at Pick 1.
The Ballarat local took out Vic Country's MVP and GWV's best and fairest in a 2026 season where he has risen sharply.
Despite disposal tallies of 25, 34 and 27 in the opening rounds of the Talent League, Drever knew there was another level to reach after engaging a running coach in pre-season, and a conversation with coach David Loader after Round 3 unlocked his very best, which rocketed him into Pick 1 contention.
“My burst of pace was the main one, and I sat down with ‘Deeks'; he went through the fact that I was going alright, but there were things I could improve on, and after that (meeting) I built confidence and took that pace into the rest of the season,” Drever said.
“I started the season reasonably strong statistic-wise but still wasn't showing my traits the best I could, so he pulled me aside and told me to have the confidence to take the game on."
Drever has been described as an athlete built for modern footy with his 188cm frame and blistering sub-three-second 20-metre sprint time, considered elite, making him a physical specimen.
“It has been about using it as much as I can, and if I was in front of a stoppage, I would break away and not be scared of being tackled and run down or anything like that,” Drever added.
“I found if I was bursting away I wasn't getting tackled much anyway so it would've been about Round 3.”
A broken wrist in 2025 virtually put paid to his aspirations of making the AFL Academy, but he was a late inclusion for the Under-17s Futures game, which showcased potential, and after a targeted pre-season, he matched the promise with production.
Underlining his dominance at Talent League level, he finished with 161 votes in the Rebels best and fairest; second-placed Archie Elliott netted 82 votes.
He averaged 20 touches for Vic Country and was similarly dominant for GWV Rebels, where he went at 28 disposals and seven tackles and seized the big moments.
“At the start of the year, I'd say I'm an outside midfielder, but now I'd say I'm inside,” Drever said.
“I've played different roles (in the midfield) for GWV and Vic Country, which has allowed me to show my different strengths and grow my transition game and understanding of running patterns.”
One of the most striking elements from spending an hour with Drever is his humility.
The swagger he plays with when he tucks the ball under his arm and bursts away from an opponent in the corridor doesn't translate into ego.
He presents as just another knockabout country kid who loves his footy – if he's not playing or training, he's recovering or preparing - and mates who would walk down the street and make time to speak to everyone.
It therefore makes sense that early in 2026, he needed to be firmly reminded by coach David Loader that he was the barometer of the lineup – and had a license to play as such.
“There's not many who go straight into the system and are ready, but I feel like I'm ready; I just need to build up a bit more strength and size over the off-season,” Drever said.
“But I feel like my traits and attributes can translate into the AFL quickly and with the support and development they have there – I'd like to think I can develop quickly.
“I'd say (I can start) either half-back or wing. I'm comfortable in both those positions and like playing them. I've come through juniors and bottom-aged playing those a bit and maybe half forward as well.”
That strut when he gets time and space has drawn comparison to GWS star Finn Callaghan, and he has also been likened to Brisbane's Hugh McCluggage and Hawthorn's Will Day.
A conversation with McCluggage recently gave him an insight into what to expect when he lands on an AFL list.
“I wanted to get an insight into what it's like when you're first drafted to an AFL club,” Drever said.
“Hugh got drafted interstate, so I know what to expect going in, and he said the main goal is to build relationships early on and trust and go from there really.”
An Essendon supporter, there remains some chance he ends up at the Bombers, who hold Pick 1, while West Coast, Melbourne and North Melbourne also have picks in the early part of the AFL Draft.
“It's cool to be in that conversation. There's some very good players in the pool. I'll just be happy to be drafted, so wherever I go I'll be happy,” Drever said.
“Whatever pick I manage to go, I wouldn't take it any differently; I would be myself. The higher pick I go, the more media there will be, but I don't look into it too much; none of it really bothers me, so I think I'd be fine with all that stuff.
“I would bring myself. A level-headed, composed and determined guy. I would bring myself. I'd try and bring a bit of leadership and go out there and be team-oriented and do what I can do to get a flag for the team.”
