Nic Nat, Gawn, Grundy.. Draper?
Demons great Garry Lyon believes Essendon's young ruckman could be ready to announce himself as one of the elite big men of the competition.
Lyon has heard through sources that Draper has been ripping pre-season training to shreds and is primed for a big 2021.
The 22-year old made his AFL debut for the Bombers last year and impressed in his eight appearances, averaging 8.9 disposals, 1.9 marks and 18.5 hitouts.
Now taking over the mantle as Essendon's number one ruckman, Lyon believes he has all the tools to breakout this season.
“The elite ruckmen in the competition, it goes Nic Naitanui, Max Gawn and then Brodie Grundy, you can order them however you want,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
“There’s a bloke who’s training better than all of them, who is ripping the joint to shreds, who might just announce himself and put himself into that category by season’s end and his name is Sam Draper.
“That’s what I’m hearing from multiple sources and that he’s pivotal to what happens at Essendon. I’m told he's a competitive beast like no other.
“He’s got a pre-season under his belt and his influence reigns at Essendon and that he is going to be the ruckman who is going to burst onto the scene.”
Draper was drafted by the Bombers with Pick 1 in the 2017 Rookie Draft out of South Australia.
He knocked back an offer to join St Kilda in 2019, re-signing with Essendon on a four-year deal that ties him to Tullamarine until the end of the 2023.
Highly touted while he was coming through the ranks, could 2021 be the year he lives up to the hype and becomes a genuine star of the game?
