The 2017 Draft class was a solid one. Seven of the first 10 players selected have accumulated more than 100 games, while some later speculative picks have emerged as genuine draft steals.
Eight years on, we re-draft the first 10 picks, taking into account each player's career, any remaining upside and each club's list priorities at the time. In hindsight, some clubs would have made vastly different calls.
For context, here were the original first 10 selections in the 2017 AFL Draft:
1. Cameron Rayner (Brisbane)
2. Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle)
3. Paddy Dow (Carlton)
4. Luke Davies-Uniacke (North Melbourne)
5. Adam Cerra (Fremantle)
6. Jaidyn Stephenson (Collingwood)
7. Hunter Clark (St Kilda)
8. Nick Coffield (St Kilda)
9. Aaron Naughton (Western Bulldogs)
10. Lochie O'Brien (Carlton)
Pick 8: Aaron Naughton (+1) - St Kilda
Originally selected by the Western Bulldogs at Pick 9, Naughton has developed into one of the competition's premier key forwards. Strong in the air and competitive at ground level, he has been a consistent scoreboard threat in his eight years at the Bulldogs after starting in defence.
Naughton has vice-like hands, and even when he isn't marking the ball, he competes hard, giving small forwards their opportunity. He has kicked more than 35 goals in his past five seasons.
Nick Riewoldt was 34 at the time of the 2017 draft and nearing the end of a decorated career, leaving St Kilda with a need to identify its next key forward. Naughton would have been an ideal successor, offering the Saints a long-term focal point inside 50 and a player capable of leading their forward line through the next phase of their rebuild.
