The revelation of Essendon ruckman Sam Draper's unrestricted free agency status could be a blessing in disguise for the Bombers as they prepare to manoeuvre through what is shaping as a fascinating window of retention and draft planning.
Draper's grouping as an unrestricted free agent confirms the South Australian isn't among the top 25 per cent earners at Tullamarine, with only five restricted free agents listed for 2025 across the competition.
Brandon Starcevich (Brisbane), Tom De Koning (Carlton), James Worpel (Hawthorn), Oscar Allen (West Coast) and Ed Richards (Western Bulldogs) are the quintet of unsigned players who are restricted, meaning their clubs can match rival bids and potentially force trade deals instead of automatically losing the player and receiving compensation instead.
In Draper's case, the Bombers now won't have the chance to match a rival's play for their first-string ruckman, with Adelaide viewed as the strongest suitor for the Reynella product.
It also means the Bombers won't have to enter trade discussions with the Crows should a successful bid for Draper come, with any secured play from Adelaide leading the Bombers to receive a draft pick as compensation.
Essendon are assumed to be competitive in any approach to contract negotiations, potentially placing a premium on Draper's signature if the Crows did come to the table.
A high enough price from Adelaide could then lead to band one compensation for the Bombers, giving them a pick immediately after their own first-round selection, which - at the time of writing - would be good for Pick 7.
Adelaide, who have risen to finals contention in 2025, are unlikely to stump up more than one first-round pick if they had to trade for Draper, meaning they would be offering either their current top selection - currently Pick 12 - or a future draft asset.
It means the unrestricted/compensation route, should Draper decide to depart, could pocket the Bombers a better return, adding to their already strong draft hand that holds their own first-round pick as well as Melbourne's, which is currently Pick 2.
Questions over whether Adelaide's bid for Draper could warrant the best compensation for the Bombers would rightfully arise, but given the Crows don't need to trade any capital to secure him, they may be more inclined to place a higher price on his head to make sure they land his services.
The other upside in Draper's unrestricted status is that the Bombers would have a clear understanding of their draft hand and trade capital earlier into the player movevment window instead of having to get stuck into negotations with the Crows over negotiations that could take until the deadline, with the early guarantee of an additional top selection doing wonders for the Bombers' trade and draft plans.
Their strong draft hand, in combination with the salary space left for Draper, places them in the frame for an aggressive play for a ready-made talent that could bolster Brad Scott's list, with the likes of Matt Rowell and Harley Reid among the star talent already tied to the Bombers this year.
The trio of 2025 first-round picks would also place the Dons in a comfortable position to attain their club-tied prospects come November's AFL Draft, with Calder Cannons duo and Essendon NGA names Adam Sweid and Hussien El Achkar potentially in the conversation as first-round picks given their early-season form.
Much like last year's play for Isaac Kako, the Bombers will need to make sure they have the required points to match a bid for their NGA talent, with changes to this year's draft points index making it harder for clubs to secure their top-rated priority access prospects.
There remains a need for Essendon to retain Draper however, with last week's season-ending ACL injury to understudy Nick Bryan now adding to the equation.
Likely to be without Bryan for the opening months of the 2026 season, the potential absence of both he and Draper next year could be a difficult hill to climb as Scott plans to cement Essendon's place as a flag contender.
The potential loss of Draper would likely lead the Bombers to find an immediate replacement, with veteran Todd Goldstein an outside chance to play on beyond this year while fourth-string tall Vigo Visentini may not be at the level yet.
A cheap stop-gap option could be an avenue to assess, with next month's Mid-Season Draft a lever to utilise given the options on offer from the state league competitions, with Coburg's Cooper Keogh or North Adelaide's Alex Van Wyk among the names that could fetch interest.
The Bombers could potentially look to use their top draft selections to make a play for Pick 1 contender and Calder Cannons ruckman Cooper Duff-Tytler, who could be the long-term option to eventually partner with Bryan.
All of Bryan, Goldstein and Visentini join Draper in being off-contract this year, making for an intriguing period among the Bombers' ruck stocks.
