The silly season has arrived and with it rises the intrigue surrounding the 2025 AFL Draft.
Craft of the Draft has followed the talent pathways all season, with this the latest instalment of our monthly rankings.
There is a standout seven players who have created a gap on the rest of the draft class, with plenty of variety across what will be a highly compromised first round that could extend towards 30 picks.
Several bolters have emerged late in the season, headlined by Sullivan Robey and also including Oskar Taylor, Avery Thomas, Blake Thredgold and more.
The 2025 crop has widely been discussed as a weak draft and there is a school of thought among many that, after the established talents, clubs may be more likely to take a speculative punt than go after a known commodity.
Xavier Taylor is a big riser after a sterling finals series capped a big season, while Jack Ison, too, continues to capture attention late in the season.
Taj Murray was the unluckiest omission - a mobile tall who fits the profile perfectly of being high upside, but less proven players who could be selected earlier than typical.
Others around the mark included Fremantle Next Generation Academy prospect Toby Whan, West Coast-tied Charlie Banfield and Western Jets forward Oskar Ainsworth.
SEE: 2025 PROSPECT POWER RANKINGS FOR SEPTEMBER
6. 25-21
25. Lachy Carmichael - Sydney Swans Academy
The Sydney Academy prospect has a stacked CV: U16s Sydney Swans MVP, U17s futures representative, Allies captain and Allies MVP this year. Carmichael has grown from a strong and reliable half-back to a damaging playmaker capable of impacting with run and carry and penetrating kick, while he can also deliver handsomely inside 50 and even hit the scoreboard. His strong form got him exposure in the Allies midfield later in the carnival where his weapons were again on show, but what he does is built on a strong base of one-on-one defence.
| 37 RANK |  | Lachy Carmichael Sydney Academy Defender/Midfielder HEIGHT: 183cm | ▶+ |
24. Max King - Sydney Swans Academy
The powerful Sydney Academy forward showed his full range of athletic traits at the National AFL Draft Combine in early October, and despite perhaps not having the consistency of some of his contemporaries, few have higher upside. Can take big grabs, is dynamic at ground level and capable of impacting further up the field.
| 26 RANK |  | Max King Sydney Academy Forward/Midfielder HEIGHT: 191cm |
23. Harley Barker - Sturt
The speedy Sturt winger injured his ACL following a productive U18s National Championships which earned him All-Australian honours. Is potent with ball in hand and is disciplined with his running patterns, so he is viewed as the best specialist winger in the class – but won't feature much at any level in 2026.
| 21 RANK |  | Harley Barker Sturt Midfielder HEIGHT: 187cm | ▶+ |
22. Blake Thredgold - Sturt
Thredgold is a lockdown defender from South Australia who took out best afield honours in the SANFL U18s Grand Final for his job on top West Adelaide prospect Mitch Marsh. Athletically gifted, pacy and hard to beat one-on-one, he's the only openly available 195+cm defender in our top 50, and the scarcity of genuine defenders could push him up draft boards.
| 20 RANK |  | Blake Thredgold Sturt Defender HEIGHT: 194cm | ▶+ |
21. Archie Ludowyke - Sandringham Dragons
An injury ended Archie Ludowyke's season early and limited his impact at the U18s National Championships, adding a level of intrigue to where exactly he goes in the draft. He's the pure key forward with the biggest body of work and recruiters will know what they're getting: a mobile player capable of taking a good overhead mark and with a strong athletic base. He showed all of those attributes in a strong first half of the year for Sandringham and Brighton Grammar.
| 22 RANK |  | Archie Ludowyke Sandringham Dragons Forward HEIGHT: 197cm | ▶+ |
