This is it. Our final say. The cream of the crop, the best of the best. With the AFL Draft now less than three weeks away, Craft of the Draft has released its definitive top 50 power rankings after following the talent pathway all year and releasing an expanding list each month.
The 2025 crop is expected to be a shallow pool with roughly 55 names expected to be taken in the National Draft. Despite conjecture about the strength of the Victorian crop, it remains the talent hotspot, with 17 players from Vic Metro programs and six from Vic Country programs.
The U18s National Championships winning South Australia are well represented with 11 members of the top 50, including eight in the top 21. Another major narrative of the AFL Draft in 2025 has been the compromised nature of the pool, with 14 members of the top 50 tied to clubs, including four players in the top seven.
To be clear: This is not a mock draft. This masthead has released two separate first-round mock drafts ahead of the AFL Draft and will release another, expanded one in the week immediately prior to the big day; but this story does not attempt to correspond the ranking with a suited club or interested suitor. This is simply a ranking of the top 50 best prospects available in this year's intake.
Around the mark
Rory Wright is unlucky to miss the list after a brilliant finish to his season across half-back resulted in him drawing widespread comparison to champion Luke Hodge, though clubs question his lack of pace. GWV Rebels small forward Talor Byrne is also stiff after a strong season highlighted by a five-goal game for Vic Country. Sam Swadling is thereabouts as a proven ball winner, but his disposal efficiency is causing some hesitation about where he sits in the pecking order. Swadling's Western Australian teammate Cody Curtin has a wide range, with some viewing him in the 30s and others much further back. Fremantle Academy prospect Toby Whan is also close after an excellent season for South Fremantle as a powerful midfielder in the vein of Hayden Young. Western Jets pair Oskar Ainsworth and Finn Davis are also around the mark. Brisbane Academy prospect Tyan Prindable could attract a bid after a strong season for the Allies and Brisbane VFL as a pressure forward, while Harry Scott and Tom Blamires are viewed as the leading VFL prospects in a shallow pool.
245-41
45 - Jack Dalton (Sandringham Dragons)
No one finished the Coates Talent League season in hotter form than Jack Dalton. Played in Sandringham Dragons' midfield and, despite playing just half a season, took out the club's best and fairest, underlining his consistency and star power. A running machine, Dalton ran the quickest two-kilometre time trial of any player at the National AFL Draft Combine with a time of 5:53 minutes.
MORE: HOW RUNNING MACHINE HAS FOUND ANOTHER LEVEL
| 45 RANK |  | Jack Dalton Sandringham Dragons Midfielder HEIGHT: 178cm | ▶+ |
44 - Liam Hetherton (Murray Bushrangers)
The Murray Bushrangers forward has been missing for most of the season with injury, but he showed more than enough at the end of last year and start of 2025 to suggest that he has plenty of traits transferable to an AFL list. Can take a big contested mark, has power, is damaging at ground level and is a dead-eye set shot. May prove the bargain pickup of the 2025 draft crop.
| 44 RANK |  | Liam Hetherton Murray Bushrangers Forward HEIGHT: 197cm | ▶+ |
43 - Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier (North Adelaide Roosters)
Somewhat of a divisive player for clubs, which either see unbelievable upside or don't think he has the tools to translate to AFL level. A natural ball-winner with a penetrating kick and excellent contested game, Oudshoorn-Bennier played two excellent games for South Australia and has captained North Adelaide for the past two years, where he has been uber-consistent. Highlighting his toughness, Oudshoorn-Bennier spent the 2025 season playing with a torn labrum.
MORE: HOW NORTH ADELAIDE SKIPPER STARRED THROUGH INJURY
| 43 RANK |  | Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier North Adelaide Midfielder HEIGHT: 182cm | ▶+ |
42 - Leon Kickett (Swan Districts)
A bolter from the west, Kickett has come on in leaps and bounds in the second half of the season. The 19-year-old Swan Districts small forward is noted for his high impact and ability to fly for marks, proving a nightmare when within scoring range for opposition defenders. Also applies pressure when he doesn't have the footy, and has a sound athletic profile. A wildcard who many expect to attract attention early on the second night, 40 is at the very bottom end of his range.
| 42 RANK |  | Leon Kickett Swan Districts Forward HEIGHT: 172cm |
41 - Jai Murray (Gold Coast Academy)
The forgotten member of the Gold Coast Academy quintet, Murray is a hard-running, strong-bodied and versatile talent who split his time between the wing and midfield early this year before a foot injury cut his season short. Murray looks set to start his AFL career on a wing and is an outside chance of receiving a bid as high as late into night one.
MORE: FROM PADDLEBOARDING TO THE AFL - THE JAI MURRAY STORY
| 41 RANK |  | Jai Murray Gold Coast Academy Midfielder/Defender HEIGHT: 187cm | + |
