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.
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35 - Harry Kyle (Sydney Academy)
What a rise for the rugby union convert. There are shades of Finn Callaghan about the way Harry Kyle plays his footy, and he's some chance to be the first Sydney Academy player bid on - a massive achievement given the wraps on Max King. His versatility and power are Kyle's greatest assets, and he possesses great poise with the footy and a sidestep he's carried from his rugby background.
| 35 RANK |  | Harry Kyle Sydney Academy Defender HEIGHT: 188cm | + |
MORE: FROM RUGBY UNION TO THE AFL: HARRY KYLE'S STORY
34 - Max Kondogiannis (Oakleigh Chargers)
The Oakleigh Chargers defender is a relatively anonymous prospect but has met with 16 clubs, who are attracted to him as an athletic hybrid option who intercepts well and uses the ball creatively. Those traits were on show at a productive U18s National Championships, and despite being raw, he has taken inspiration from Tobie Travaglia and Will Day that his body type could succeed early at the next level.
MORE: CONFIDENT KONDOGIANNIS OVERCOMES EXTERNAL DOUBT TO PUT HIMSELF IN AFL DRAFT CONVERSATIONS
| 34 RANK |  | Max Kondogiannis Oakleigh Chargers Defender HEIGHT: 190cm | ▶+ |
33 - Avery Thomas (Tasmania Devils)
Potentially the only Tasmanian who will be drafted in 2025, Thomas is a daring, creative and athletic intercept defender who boldly takes the game on. A high-level track and field background, where he specialised in decathlon, explains his strong athletic background, which got him into the top 10 for three tests at the AFL Draft National Combine.
| 33 RANK |  | Avery Thomas Tasmania Defender HEIGHT: 186cm | ▶+ |
MORE: "WILL HAVE MY COMMITTMENT": TOP TASMANIAN PROSPECT PLEDGES ALLEGIANCE DESPITE LOOMING EXPANSION
32 - Marcus Krasnadamskis (Eastern Ranges)
Has received very little talk but some view Krasnadamskis as the best ruck in the draft behind Cooper Duff-Tytler. Has an element of mystery and therefore great scope given a high-level basketball background meant he didn't make his Coates Talent League debut until this year. Athletic, aggressive and skilful, he's the new-aged tall.
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| 32 RANK |  | Marcus Krasnadamskis Eastern Ranges Ruck/Forward HEIGHT: 199cm | ▶+ |
31 - Cam Nairn (Central District)
In an age where athletes are increasingly sought, Nairn's pure footballing ability has won him fans in 2025. Burst onto the scene with a seven-goal game as a marking forward for South Australia at the U18s National Championships, but more likely projects as a winger at the next level where his running, smarts and aerial capacity will be assets. A late-season stint in the midfield at SANFL U18s level showed another string to his bow.
| 31 RANK |  | Cam Nairn Central District Utility HEIGHT: 189cm | + |
