The first eight selections of the 2026 AFL Draft order have been locked following the conclusion of the home-and-away season, with Essendon to open this year's count at Pick 1.
With these selections in mind, Craft of the Draft ran through how the opening to the 2026 AFL Draft might unfold with a 'mini mock draft' on this week's episode.
Analyst Jonty Ralphsmith made picks for Essendon (Pick 1), West Coast (Pick 3), Melbourne (Pick 6, via Gold Coast) and GWS (Pick 7), with host Mitch Keating holding selections for Richmond (Pick 2), Port Adelaide (Pick 4), North Melbourne (Pick 5) and St Kilda (Pick 8).
By the end of the mock draft, a total of nine selections and three bids were made. Here's how it unfolded...
Pick 9 - St Kilda: Wil Malady
| 17 RANK |  | Wil Malady Gippsland Power Forward HEIGHT: 190cm |
Keating: The last pick of our mini mock draft. It's easily the hardest one I've had to do. I'm going to take Wil Malady. It's probably between him and Mitch Harris, but I'm going down the Malady path. He probably hasn't been as high as others have had him, and his Champs probably widened where some people have him. There's probably no clear consensus, but, for me, he's creeping into that top 10 range. The Saints would get a medium, athletic forward who plays tall with his aerial traits.
