AFL
Chris Doerre 5y

Chris Doerre's first round AFL Phantom Draft

AFL

The 2018 season is done and dusted and attention now turns to the highly anticipated free agent, trade and draft periods.

This year, the AFL Draft will become a two-day event -- to be held on November 22 and 23 -- with live trading of picks available for the first time

But who will go where? ESPN's AFL draft expert Chris Doerre has reached into his crystal ball to predict the first round of this year's event.

The draft order will of course change dramatically after the trade period finishes, so Doerre will update and expand his phantom drafts as the event draws closer. 

1. Carlton
Sam Walsh (VIC)

Height, Weight: 183cm, 74kg
Profile: The most highly touted midfielder in the draft class. An elite endurance runner with as advanced a game as any in an inside or outside role.

2. Gold Coast
Jack Lukosius (SA)
Height, Weight:
194cm, 85kg
Profile: The next prototype key forward who covers the ground like Nick Riewoldt, sees the game unfold before it happens and hits impossible targets by foot like no key forward we have seen. A potential generational player.

3. St Kilda
Max King (VIC)
Height, Weight:
202cm, 86kg
Profile: As difficult to defend inside 50m as any junior key forward in recent years. Kicked eight goals and took nine marks (six contested) in his only game this season before tearing his ACL.

4. Brisbane
Bailey Smith (VIC)
Height, Weight:
185cm, 82kg
Profile: Arguably the best and most complete midfielder in the draft. Smith is not only a high production midfielder but also offers the best combination of contested ball-winning, reliable kicking and acceleration in this draft.

5. Fremantle
Izak Rankine (SA)
Height, Weight:
180cm, 76kg
Profile: Possessing comparable talent to ex-Adelaide great Andrew McLeod, Rankine can turn games like no one else in this draft. An instinctive, season one-ready forward and midfielder with speed, skill, goal sense and ball-winning capabilities.

6. Western Bulldogs
Connor Rozee (SA)
Height, Weight:
185cm, 71kg
Profile: Athletic utility who is likely to find a role early days as a pressure forward before pushing up through the midfield. Combines clean skills with aerial ability and ground level prowess.

7. Adelaide
Ben King (VIC)
Height, Weight:
202cm, 85kg
Profile: A key position prospect with the capability to play either end. Ben is more versatile and effective up the ground than his twin Max, but not as dominant close to goal.

8. Essendon
Jye Caldwell (VIC)
Height, Weight:
184cm, 78kg
Profile: Caldwell has had limited exposure with just three TAC Cup matches this year due to hamstring troubles. He's a powerful ball-winning midfielder with a burst of speed.

9. Port Adelaide
Jackson Hately (SA)
Height, Weight:
190cm, 81kg
Profile: Ready-to-go midfielder who was a consistent performer in the SANFL at League level. Balances contested ball-winning with outside accumulation and run.

10. North Melbourne
Tarryn Thomas (TAS - North Melbourne Next Generation Academy)
Height, Weight:
189cm, 73kg
Profile: Recognised for his line-breaking capabilities and acceleration. Exceptional defensively with his tackling and smothering as impressive as any in this draft.

11. Geelong
Xavier Duursma (VIC)
Height, Weight:
185cm, 71kg
Profile: One of the rare midfielders who plays an inside or outside role to a high standard. A speedy, smooth moving midfielder with clean skills and ball-winning capabilities.

12. Sydney
Nick Blakey (NSW/ACT - Sydney Academy)
Height, Weight:
195cm, 80kg
Profile: Has missed a lot of time with a stress reaction in his ankle and a stress fracture in his back in 2017. A rare talent with the athleticism, clean skills and ground level abilities to play any position.

13. Greater Western Sydney
Liam Stocker (VIC)
Height, Weight:
183cm, 83kg
Profile: Prolific contested ball-winner with clean skills who runs all day. Awarded the Morrish Medal for the TAC Cup's best and fairest.

14. Hawthorn
Sam Sturt (VIC)
Height, Weight:
188cm, 79kg
Profile: Dangerous medium marking forward who from his first TAC Cup game looked a class above. Possesses arguably the sweetest left foot kick to a target and on goal in this draft.

15. Adelaide
Ned McHenry (VIC)
Height, Weight:
176cm, 71kg
Profile: McHenry is this year's premier forward pressure specialist, leading the Under-18 Championships in tackles and pressure acts as a small forward. An elite endurance athlete, McHenry can also push up the wings.

16. Richmond
Chayce Jones (TAS)
Height, Weight:
180cm, 74kg
Profile: A tireless ball winner and accumulator who runs all day and hits the scoreboard. Has been one of Launceston's best players in six of his seven State League appearances.

17. Collingwood
Riley Collier-Dawkins (VIC)
Height, Weight:
193cm, 88kg
Profile: First possession winner who gathers the ball on the move and bursts out of stoppages. Possesses rare speed, agility, skills and clean hands for someone of his height.

18. Gold Coast
Jordan Clark (WA)
Height, Weight:
182cm, 78kg
Profile: Precise kicking half-back flanker who reads the ball in flight and takes intercept marks. Averaged better than 15 disposals and five marks in his five WAFL League performances.

*Likely to receive a bid inside the first round sometime after their first-round selection.

**Without a first round pick.

*Western Bulldogs
Rhylee West (VIC - Western Bulldogs father-son)
Height, Weight:
180cm, 80kg
Profile: The son of Scott West, Rhylee is a powerful ball-winning midfielder who can push forward and provide a target, averaging more than a goal a game in the TAC Cup. A standout for Vic Metro during the Under-18 Championships.

**20. West Coast
Zak Butters (VIC)
Height, Weight: 181cm, 70kg
Profile:
A standout for Vic Metro before injury, sitting out the second half of the season with shoulder surgery. Butters is a classy ball user who takes on the game with his speed, agility and evasion.

**33. Melbourne
Sydney Stack (WA)
Height, Weight:
177cm, 72kg
Profile: One of this year's most exciting and impactful players. A prolific ball winner and tackler who hits the ball at speed and accelerates away.

Who are the Academy and father-son choices in the mix in this year's draft?
Brisbane:
Keidan Coleman, Tom Matthews, Darcy Marsh, Connor McFadyen, Casey Voss
Carlton: Ben Silvagni, Will Hickmott
Collingwood: Atu Bosenavulagi, Will Kelly, Isaac Quaynor
Essendon: Mason Fletcher
Fremantle: Jason Carter, Tom Medhat
Geelong: Oscar Brownless
Gold Coast: Caleb Graham, Dirk Koenan, Lachlan McDonald
GWS: Riley Bice, Kieran Briggs, Jeromy Lucas, Nick Murray, James Peatling, Guy Richardson, Mathew Walker
Hawthorn: Irving Mosquito
Melbourne: Toby Bedford
North Melbourne: Joel Crocker, Tarryn Thomas
Port Adelaide: Martin Frederick, Kai Pudney Sydney: Nick Blakey, Kye Dunkley
West Coast: Jarrod Cameron
Western Bulldogs: Buku Khamis, Rhylee West
Undecided: Bailey Scott (Geelong/Gold Coast/North Melbourne)

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