Essendon will play a large role at the top end of this year's AFL Draft, with the Bombers likely to hold two top 10 picks as well as having a pair of club-tied prospects who could be taken at the later stages of the opening night of the count.
Prior to their mid-season break, the Dons held Picks 5 and 6 for this year's draft, with the earlier selection being tied to Melbourne, who traded their 2025 first-round pick last year.
On top of their strong draft hand, the Bombers will also need to factor in their priority access to Next Generation Academy pair Adam Sweid and Hussien El Achkar, who both represent the Calder Cannons and Vic Metro, and have played for Essendon's VFL side this year.
Sweid is a midfield-forward hybrid who is a good decision maker and clean on the ball, while El Achkar is a threatening small forward with a strong scoreboard impact.
Speaking on the duo on this week's episode of Craft of the Draft, with the Bombers the next in the AFL club-by-club draft preview series, analyst Jonty Ralphsmith said the pair's range will likely fall close to the end of the first round or early into the second.
"They're probably in that 20-25 range, maybe just outside," Ralphsmith said of the pair's potential landing position at this year's draft.
"They've shown plenty in a shallower pool, their consistency has been really, really eye-catching.
"I think with Hussien El Achkar, and it's something that you don't talk about a whole lot necessarily, but he's generating so many shots at goal, and he's just been inaccurate.
"Had he got those five, six, seven, eight-goal bags that he has threatened to do so often, we'd be talking about him even higher than we are."
The Bombers, should they hold onto their selections, will have two bites of the apple in the opening few spots on the board, placing them in a window to come away with a pair of high-quality teenagers before securing Sweid and El Achkar.
Craft of the Draft's Mitch Keating sees a "versatile midfielder" as a potential target point for the Bombers with one of their opening selections.
Geelong Falcons co-captain Josh Lindsay is capable of being used as a half-back or midfielder given his elite use of the ball by foot, while Dandenong livewire Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves can be a front-half threat who can roll through the middle.
"I have a versatile midfielder listed for them," Keating said of the Bombers' potential draft night desires.
"Someone who can play on-ball but can be relied upon elsewhere. It's a reason why Elijah Tsatas isn't playing, it's a reason why Ben Hobbs has been in and out of the side a little bit.
"They have Sam Durham, Jye Caldwell and Darcy Parish, but you need players around them who can move in and out (of midfield). Will Setterfield is another one.
"They've just got so many of a similar type that I just think they need to look elsewhere, and doing so with Picks 5 and 6."
You can watch Craft of the Draft's Essendon analysis via the player below, or head to Zero Hanger's YouTube channel for the full episode.