Harry Van Hattum is the pick one contender with the potential to revolutionise the role of AFL rucks.
The shift of rucks from height-first, skill-second players who service midfielders to ostensibly a tall, athletic player with on-ball traits has been meteoric across the past decade – accelerated by the rule changes.
"There is always talk about how rucks can't kick or do this and that – I just want to show that I can impact after a ruck contest," Van Hattum told Zero Hanger.
"I can become another on-baller so I want to show my ability to do that and my follow-up.
"That skill has definitely come in the last couple of years, the follow up and kicking so hopefully that continues to show."
Not one pure ruck was selected in last year's National Draft and rucks have tended to fall down the order in recent times.
Ball-winning midfielders, small forwards and key-position talent have been preferred by clubs as they have proven premierships can be won with serviceable, rather than star rucks.
But Van Hattum's skillset is so compelling that there is a belief he will be selected in the top five and could be the first open pool player selected.
He's a brawnier, more mature-bodied figure than most his age, has physics-defying athleticism and the sight of him bursting away from stoppage with class and dexterity to open the game up by foot in the mould of a midfielder.
Richmond looks likely to hold the number one pick, and after likely placing a bid on one or both of club-tied talent, Cody Walker and Dougie Cochrane, Van Hattum should be in their sights.
Toby Nankervis looks almost certain to retire following the 2027 season and neither Samson Ryan nor Ollie Hayes-Brown inspires confidence as a long term ruck option.
Sam Grlj, Sam Lalor, Sam Cumming, Taj Hotton and Josh Smillie is a strong core of young midfielders and a ruck in a similar age demographic is the one piece they are missing after hitting the draft hard across the past two years.
Van Hattum has the best running vertical jump of any Victorian prospect this year at 103cm which, combined with his strength, allows him to get first hands to the footy in ruck and marking contests.
Coached by Anthony Rocca at the Northern Knights, he has learned to use his tools and athletic traits effectively.
"He's been unreal for me. Having ‘Pebs' (Anthony Rocca) there for our forward craft and ruck work has been unreal for me; I'm fortunate to have learned off him in the last three or four years," Van Hattum said.
"My ruck craft, jumping and timing, footwork, marking ability and leading patterns inside 50 all comes from him."
Coached by Chad Wingard, Joel Selwood and Tarkyn Lockyer, among others at the AFL Academy, his teammates from across the country have noted his humility and hunger to improve throughout the program, which entailed a camp in New Zealand.
The hulking 205cm player, who models his ruck craft on Melbourne legend Max Gawn and forward craft on Western Bulldogs star Sam Darcy, Van Hattum is well suited to the ruck rule changes given his reach and leap which he used to his advantage in the AFL Academy games.
"They were both huge boys. It was a good challenge," Van Hattum said.
"I got over (Taylor) Goad a few times and got some good taps to (the midfielders) and against Hayes-Brown it was harder because he's a solid boy and has four to five years on me. I've got a bit of work to do there but I'm sure that will come in the next few years.
"I've been working on my gut-running and with the new rules, there will be less boundary throw-ins so you have to be more versatile as a ruck with these new rules.
"My running ability is developing well and my style of ruck is to run and jump so I've loved the new rules."
Van Hattum was best afield in his first game of 2026, combining 19 disposals with 20 hitouts and two goals, before a minor quad injury sustained at Knights training sidelined him for a fortnight ahead of the AFL Academy game.
He is Zero Hanger's top open-pool prospect in the first AFL Draft Power Rankings of 2025, to be released on May 1, and is universally viewed as among the top handful of talents in the crop, alongside Geelong's Noah Williams, Sandringham pair Gus Teixeira and Arki Butler, South Australian Gabriel Patterson and Gippslander Marlon Neocleous.
He was one of four rucks in the AFL Academy and enjoyed the opportunity to exchange notes with his contemporaries.
"I definitely want to (go as high as possible)," Van Hattum said.
"There is a lot of boys like Ethan Herbert and Benji (Van Rooyen) that have been good to learn off and having Lewis at Northern Knights is awesome.
"My key strength is my competitiveness so I want to show that across ‘Champs' and see how I go and get picked up at the end of the year.
"I'm going to play in a lot of different programs so I want to have a good baseline across all those programs."
