All eyes are on Cody Walker for Blues fans.
The father-son prospect is almost certain to fetch a bid in the top five of the AFL Draft and the club has worked hard to ensure it has the draft capital to bring him to Ikon Park.
But beyond him, the Blues are expected to list up to another three players and while Walker is the headline act, the evenness of the crop provides cause for optimism that they could fid some diamonds through the middle stages of the AFL Draft crop.
Draft hand: 13, 18, 31, 50, 61, 72, 90, 108
Picks 13 and 18 will be absorbed on matching a bid for Walker. Don't rule out the Blues needing to get creative and trade up to get more points given they are currently unable to match a bid at pick 2 but as it stands, picks 31, 50 and 61 will be used on open pool players.
List needs
Half forward: The noise is Carlton will target a forward as a priority in this year's draft. It's been some time since Carlton has had a true front-and-centre small forward and getting someone in to fill that role to complement noted goal kicker Harry McKay and Ben Ainsworth and Will Hayward.
Key forward: Harry McKay is the man the forward line is built around, while Mitch McGovern has worked hard in recent years, and they have welcomed in Joel Amartey. That is the present covered, but talls take time to develop – should the Blues look to bring in a player who can develop in the background? Western Australia's Harvey Spawton-Guy and South Australia's Jack Slattery will be right in their range, while VFL bolter Brady Wright is a more readymade option.
Ruck: The departures of Hudson O'Keefe and Flynn Riley for Western Bulldogs and Collingwood respectively have left the Blues a bit bare in the ruck department. Behind Marc Pittonet, they have just Liam Reidy. Of course, as we have seen in recent years, rucks are often brought in via the SSP or Mid-Season Draft, but with a capable enough backup behind Pittonet, arguably what they need is a young ruck to take over from Pittonet in the medium term so they may turn to the National Draft.
Targets
Cody Walker: The obvious one. Has trained extensively with the Blues this year and is every chance of playing AFL next year as a half forward before graduating into the midfield in time. Ultra-competitive and hard running, he has been viewed among the pointy end of this draft crop for multiple years and has Blues fans excited – particularly given what he has already produced in the navy blue at VFL level.
Benji Van Rooyen: Behind Harry Van Hattum who will be taken in the top 10, Van Rooyen is the standout ruck in this year's crop. He was the Under-18s All-Australian ruck and his competitiveness and follow-up for a 203cm player are standout traits. He has also added aerial power to his game in 2026. Benji is the brother of Melbourne forward Jacob. South Australian Ethan Herbert is another option here.
Marcus Prasad: The Dandenong Stingrays livewire is a childhood Carlton supporter and would be right in the range for the Blues' second selection. He is a prototype crumbing forward who gets under opposition's skin and is a nice fit as an athletic and high-pressure goal-kicker.
