Collingwood has had just one player it has drafted from the open pool since 2015 who has gone on to play 100 AFL games for the club.
Notwithstanding their fortune with father-sons Nick and Josh Daicos and Isaac Quaynor during that time, it is a grim return for a proud club.
The additions of Sam Swadling and Ed Allan in recent years have been important hits amid too many misses.
Coach Craig McRae's mantra has been players over picks but that has shifted as the Pies look to regenerate on the fly alongside bringing in high quality talent during the player movement period.
The club has also expressed an openness to bringing in mature-aged players through the draft, having had success with Ned Long, Angus Anderson and Roan Steele in recent years.
Getting bang for buck with their first selection is critical before also hitting the jackpot at Pick 30.
Draft hand: 11, 30, 67, 68, 70, 88, 106
The Pies will select up to four players at the National Draft. They look almost certain to take a key position player with their first selection, but whether that is a forward or defender remains to be seen. Perhaps it is a case of best key-position player available – and address the other end of the ground with Pick 30?
List boss Justin Leppitsch has expressed an openness to trading up to improve their draft hand so that remains a watch going into draft night. Collingwood still has its natural draft selections next year and do not have any tied prospects it will need to match for so are every chance to do a deal with a club which needs capital next year.
List needs
Key forward: Dan McStay emerged as one of the best tall forwards in the competition late in 2026 capped off with arguably a best afield performance in the Wildcard Round final against Western Bulldogs. Complementing him with Jesse Hogan is a good short term option and Charlie West showed promise late in the season but will need a partner long term.
Key defender: Darcy Moore and particularly Jeremy Howe are both approaching the latter stages of their careers, while Billy Frampton will also be 30 next year. The Pies delisted Joel Cochran, Wil Parker and Jakob Ryan, and Noah Howes is no certainty to return, limiting their defensive depth. Could the Pies look at getting a Darcy Moore successor?
Linking forward: A damaging player who can be trusted ball in hand going inside 50 would be a nice addition to the Pies. With Lachie Schultz playing good footy and Will Hayes developing nicely there is a bit there, but more depth and someone who can deliver it well would not go astray.
Potential targets
Sam Gayfer: Gayfer has been heavily linked to the Pies for more than a month. He is likely to be selected right around the Magpies' Pick 11, but with St Kilda and Gold Coast both ahead of Collingwood and in need of key forwards. Zero Hanger has likened him to Dan McStay throughout 2026 – though, admittedly, he is far more athletic, as he showed at a record-breaking National Combine – so could he be groomed as McStay's successor after playing alongside him for a few years.
Tyson Bradley/Clancy Snell: If Gayfer is off the board or the Pies decide to go for a key defender, it will be a choice in two with Mitch Harris almost certainly off the board. Bradley will develop into a Harris Andrews-style general of the backline and is already well physically developed, having taken out Vic Metro's MVP and claimed several coups on different types of key forwards throughout the year. Snell, meanwhile, has been more closely linked to the Pies. He played his best footy in the first half of the year and went well when he got VFL exposure for Collingwood. Both Bradley and Snell have leadership credentials too, captaining Sandringham and Gippsland respectively.
Marlon Neocleous: One the Pies have been linked to, the player on their list he most plays like is Harvey Harrison. Would be an upgrade on Harrison, but like the South Australian, Neocleous has the capacity to get up the ground and impact, pressure and lower his eyes going forward, alongside his finishing in front of the big sticks. The Pies don't exactly need a small forward in the truest sense but a front half conduit would go a long way.
Brady Wright: Should the Pies select a key defender with their first selection, Wright should come heavily into considerations with their second selection. As aforementioned, they have shown a willingness to get more proven mature-agers and Wright gives them more readymade backup and could even nip at the heels of Tim Membrey next year if he starts the season poorly. For a team in a win-now stage, the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medallist who can kick bags of goals and take big marks makes sense. Drafting Mitch Podhajski mid-season indicated a desire to bolster that area of the ground for the short term – but he has since been delisted so they are every chance to again seek a key forward who is ready.
