Welcome to Craft of the Draft's maiden Mock Draft for 2025, with a total of 23 selections made in a 'live' count of how opening night for this year's intake might unfold.
Matched bids for Academy and father-son draft prospects are included in the Mock Draft, as are the estimated landing spots for free agency compensation selections.
Matched bids for clubs have seen their subsequent selection(s) dissolve from the draft order, pending the timing of the bids.
The 14 clubs involved in the Mock Draft were split between Craft of the Draft analysts Jonty Ralphsmith and Mitch Keating.
Jonty's Picks - West Coast, Essendon, Hawthorn, Sydney, Fremantle, GWS and Geelong
Mitch's Picks - Richmond, Gold Coast, St Kilda, Carlton, Western Bulldogs, Adelaide and Brisbane
Not Involved - North Melbourne, Melbourne, Port Adelaide and Collingwood
Pick 8 - Carlton (Matched Bid): Harry Dean
| 7 RANK |  | Harry Dean Murray Bushrangers Defender HEIGHT: 193cm | â–¶+ |
Make that four matched bids in the opening eight selections, with the Bombers' double for Annable and Blues father-son Dean seeing their pair of picks Essendon entered the draft with - Picks 4 and 5 - now ballooning out to conclude the top 10.
Carlton's role in matching a bid has been eased in recent days with the acquisition of free agency compensation for Tom De Koning (Pick 9) and Jack Silvagni (Pick 20), with the former likely to be traded on to acquire the needed points to match a bid for Dean.
What the Blues get in Dean is the standout key defender of his draft class, with the Murray Bushrangers talent arguably the most consistent performer across the U18s National Championships.
His standing as both an interceptor and one-on-one stopper has him well placed as a likely top 10 selection, while Dean is equally as composed with ball in hand.
