Dandenong's Mac Andrew is a versatile key position prospect coming out of Victoria.

The Egyptian-born South Sudanese player is one of the rawest prospects at the top end of the draft. Andrew's potential is also one of the highest. He has an elite level of athleticism with a great vertical leap for his size. This helped him dominate the ruck, with the ability and touch to find teammates. Those clean hands translate to around the ground, being able to mark at the highest point.

His light frame is something that opposition players will be able to exploit. At only 70kg, he will need to add size to his frame to fully realise his potential. It appears that he is already addressing those issues however.

“I’ve put on about 10 kilos this year, so I’m about 80 now,” Andrew recently told The Age.

GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 24: Mac Andrew of the NAB AFL Academy and Darcy Fort of the Cats contest the ruck during the match between the NAB AFL Academy and the Geelong Cats VFL side at GMHBA Stadium on April 24, 2021 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“I’m still pretty light, but Melbourne, they gave me a [weights] program to do and I reached out to the nutritionists that they’ve got. The [Dandenong] Stingrays as well, I’ve got a lot of people helping me with it.”

Andrew is a part of Melbourne's Next Generation Academy (NGA). With the changes to the NGA rules, only players drafted outside the top 20 selections can have their bids matched. After showing significant improvement this season, Andrew has skyrocketed up the draft boards. This means that it is unlikely that Melbourne will not get the opportunity to bid on their star prospect at the National Draft.

In a draft that is light on tall prospects, Andrew finds himself at the top end of the obtainable players in his class. With Sam Darcy going to Western Bulldogs as a father-son selection, Andrew could be the next best target. His ability to play at ground level and in the air makes him one of the most unique prospects.

He is considered a long term project, who is unlikely to have a serious impact in his first few seasons. His draft range will be influenced by whether there are any trades in the top end of the draft. Teams needing tall forwards either now or in the future (Richmond, GWS, Fremantle) would all be considering Andrew in the 2-10 range.

Team: Dandenong Stingrays
Position: Ruck/Forward
Height: 200cm
Weight: 70kg

Embed from Getty Images

Strengths

Versatility
Athleticism
Potential

Weaknesses

Raw
Strength/size

Draft Range 

2-10

Potential Landing Spots

Greater Western Sydney (Pick 2), Gold Coast (Pick 3), Fremantle (Pick 6/8), Richmond (Pick 7)

AFL Comparisons

Nic Naitanui
Luke Jackson
Paddy Ryder

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 27: Nic Naitanui of the Eagles and Jonathon Ceglar of the Hawks compete in a ruck contest during the 2018 AFL round 10 match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the West Coast Eagles at Etihad Stadium on May 27, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Expert Comments

“He’s a 200cm boy, mobile, terrific mark, can play both ends of the ground and can play in the ruck, he’s an exciting prospect is young Mac Andrews.” - Kevin Sheehan (SEN)

"What I love about the ‘Big Mac’ is just how competitive he is. He really is a great option. When he’s in the air and the ball is up for grabs he goes for it, and he fights for it at ground level." - Cal Twomey (Sportsday WA).