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
9. 10-6
10. Sam Cumming - North Adelaide Roosters
Injury ended Cumming's season early but he had already shown more than enough to position him in top 10 calculations. He's always been strong at the contest, balanced and beautifully-skilled and has rounded his powerful skillset off by proving to be damaging forward of the footy as both a marking target and dynamic ground-level threat.
| 9 RANK |  | Sam Cumming North Adelaide Midfielder/Forward HEIGHT: 186cm | ▶+ |
9. Dyson Sharp - Central District
A big-bodied brute who has made every post a winner in 2025, Sharp will make the step up to senior footy seamlessly. His brute stoppage work and clearance-winning has long been his strength, but he showed an improved ability to win outside footy and use it effectively at a Larke Medal-winning U18s National Championships. Is also capable of getting forward and hitting the scoreboard from set shot or stoppage, having done so as South Australia's captain and playing senior footy for Central District. That senior footy experience, coupled with his highly noted leadership, will hold him in good stead going onto an AFL list.
| 11 RANK |  | Dyson Sharp Central District Midfielder HEIGHT: 188cm | ▶+ |
8. Xavier Taylor - Eastern Ranges
If you weren't convinced before the Coates Talent League Grand Final of Xavier Taylor's star power, then that game cemented his status as a probable top-10 pick. He is composed at ground level, damaging with his run, creative and daring by foot and can match up on a variety of opponents as a medium-tall defender with an athletic profile perfect for the modern game.
| 8 RANK |  | Xavier Taylor Eastern Ranges Defender HEIGHT: 191cm | ▶+ |
7. Sullivan Robey - Eastern Ranges
Oh yes. We're really putting him this high. The bolter from Rowville has game-breaking ability like few others and strength, power and class with every play. His rise continued throughout the finals series, finishing off the season with a fracture in his collarbone, but that didn't slow him down. From local footy to the big time, Robey's story is what dreams are made of. A prototype midfielder/forward who can take a grab, break from contest and makes the most of his chances in front of goal, he has a lethal skillset.
| 4 RANK |  | Sullivan Robey Eastern Ranges Forward/Midfielder HEIGHT: 192cm | ▶+ |
6. Harry Dean - Murray Bushrangers
Has gone from strength to strength in 2025, with his sturdy marking, read of the play and intercepting all making him a star defender. Has speed and is also willing to take the game on with his kicking, and looks ready to make the step up to the next level. The high point of his year was his National Championships, where he got better with every game he played. Matching a bid for Dean should be the Blues' priority on draft night, provided, as expected, he formally nominated to be a father-son. Could form a formidable one-two backline duo with Harry O'Farrell in the future.
| 7 RANK |  | Harry Dean Murray Bushrangers Defender HEIGHT: 193cm | ▶+ |
