Essendon has put the competition on notice that they will be "aggressive" in targeting "A-grade" talent at rival clubs.
Hawthorn's Josh Weddle and Brisbane's Zac Bailey are already players of interest to the Bombers, as the pair work through contract negotiations beyond the 2026 season.
Weddle has reportedly already received an offer from the Tullamarine club, with the deal to be at least seven seasons worth around $10 million, according to AFL Media.
And for Bailey, Essendon is preparing a $1.3 million deal spread annually across six-plus years.
Bombers list boss Matt Rosa, ahead of Wednesday's AFL Draft, touched on the club's strategy regarding experienced players.
"It's a really important piece of putting a list together," he said on Gettable Draft Countdown.
"Bringing in mature talent. We'll always target A-grade talent, and then, those roles specific, which we think we were able to do with Brayden Fiorini this year.
“We will look to be aggressive and hopefully we can capitalise on some opportunities.”
Essendon list manager Matt Rosa on the club's interest in players like Zac Bailey and Josh Weddle.
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"We will look to be aggressive and hopefully we can capitalise on some opportunities."
Rosa was then quizzed about the interest in Bailey and Weddle, and despite remaining coy on "specifics", he did acknowledge the talent of the latter.
"I won't go into the specifics of offering players contracts," Rosa added.
"But in terms of Josh, he's a fantastic player who's got a really high ceiling. So there's no doubt there's plenty of interest across the competition."
The Bombers hold Picks 5, 6, 21, 27 and 30 in Wednesday's draft, but that could change as they look to sweeten their hand on the night.
It is understood that Essendon is the "frontrunner" for Carlton's Pick 9, which, according to Cal Twomey, could be swapped for later selections.
If the deal goes through, it could arm the Tullamarine club with three selections inside the top 10.
"We've been trying to get up the order as much as we can. There's still a bit to play out in terms of where our picks will actually land, and then the exciting part of that is if you do get up (the order), you've got flexibility on the night as well," Rosa said.
"We'll remain open to all our picks and opportunities, but our intention has always been (to) ... get as high as possible and get as much access to the high-end talent as we can."
Essendon NGA prospects Adam Sweid and Hussien El Achkar have also been told that they are not locked to join the club.
The exciting pair have impressed through the Bombers' program as well as Vic Metro, but given the "unpredictable nature of the draft", they may be picked up by a rival.
"We've been really open with both boys that there's no guarantees," Rosa said.
"We like them as players, but the complex and unpredictable nature of the draft, they're aware of that, and we'll need to see where that will land. They're really keen to be Bombers players and we'd love to have them, but we'll just have to see where it lands."
