Draft watchers love a bolter.

But for every draft bolter, there is a prospect that slides down the board.

And this year we may see more unlucky sliders and draft steals than ever before.

In a draft crop that boasts rare depth, several prospects have dropped down the order throughout their draft year – some through no fault of their own.

We have spoken to three of them about their draft experience and the impact the slide has had on them.

TOP FIVE SLIDE

By his own admission, Christian Moraes didn’t have a great year.

An attacking midfielder, Moraes was touted as a potential top-five talent entering the season after a dominant bottom-age season, and he started his 2024 campaign with a bang.

His statline read 25 disposals and two goals, 25 and four and 21 and three in his first three games with the Eastern Ranges.

And while he kicked two goals and collected 22 touches for Vic Metro against South Australia in a promising display, Moraes didn’t have the same damaging impact at the national championships.

The AFL Academy representative struggled with the lack of continuity compared to his bottom-age season – and he was forced to play in different roles due to Vic Metro’s stacked midfield group.

Despite his significant upside – he bagged five goals and had 27 disposals late in the season for the Ranges – there is a genuine possibility Moraes slides outside the top 30 selections.

That speaks to the strength of draft, with other prospects seemingly going ahead of Moraes in the eyes of recruiters.

“(This year has) been hard, I think it took some adjusting. There is a lot of changes between your bottom-age year and your top-age year that people don’t account for,” a candid Moraes said.

“There’s the pressure, but you’re going in and out of sides a lot. I think that is the one thing I didn’t get accustomed to enough.

“Whereas last year I played the whole season for the Ranges, didn’t play a single game for any other team. So you kind of put all your energy in the one spot.

“But yeah, it’s a part of your draft year.

“Just overall, I don’t think I was as productive as last year. But again, it’s part of footy where players go in and out of form a lot. I understand it is something I have to deal with, but I think obviously know I could have performed better.”

Moraes has gotten better at handling the pressure as the year has gone on, but you could see the nerves on his face before the two kilometre time trial at the draft combine.

However, the running machine delivered, running the equal-ninth best time in blustery conditions.

“It kind of daunts you for the week. It was good to get it over and done with,” Moraes said.

“I would have hoped for a little bit of a better time but I’m still pretty happy with what I got in the end.”

Moraes is no stranger to performing on the big stage given he played state basketball until he was 16, and he has found shooting hoops to be therapeutic throughout his draft year.

“I can’t play too seriously at the moment, but shooting around with some mates, going to their games and some of my old teammates’ games can get your mind off footy a bit,” Moraes said.

JEALOUS AND FORGOTTEN

In a draft that appeared to be short on talls early in the year, Noah Mraz stood out as one of the best.

Mraz, a 198cm key defender who models his game on GWS stopper Sam Taylor, shaped as a potential top-10 selection

But injury put paid to that.

Mraz wasn’t his usual self on the field early in the year during two games for the Dandenong Stingrays and another for the AFL Academy.

“My parents really noticed first kind of saying, ‘what are you doing, why aren’t you jumping very high? You look like you’re slow out there’,” Mraz said

“I was a bit hurt like, what are you talking about? Then I started noticing it too and it kept getting worse and I just couldn’t jump at all.

“Played two games, didn’t play great and it really affected me, played the academy game and it was especially bad there. Just felt like, ‘what am I doing?’ Felt like I was playing in slow motion.”

A scan revealed a big crack in his navicular bone in his foot. While he was hopeful of getting back before the end of the season, it was always a long shot.

As the out of sight, out of mind Mraz was left to watch on from the sidelines, he saw players jump past him in the rankings.

“At the start I tried not to keep track of that, just tried to take care of it myself, just play footy and see what happens kind of thing,” Mraz said.

**FULL DRAFT DOSSIER: THE 60 NAMES TO WATCH**

“But it’s hard not to take notice. Obviously I couldn’t control anything and I’m just watching myself every week slowly drop further and further.

“I didn’t let it deter me from still trying to get stronger and stay fit. To be honest it was hard, just watching my name slide down and I found myself getting a bit jealous.

“Just sitting there watching while they’re playing and feel like I’m getting forgotten about.”

Mraz was given reassurance along the way that he was still in the sights of AFL clubs.

“Along the way while being injured they’re (AFL clubs) coming to my house and stuff and I kind of needed it at the time. Letting me know that I’m still getting thought about and haven’t been forgotten about fully,” he said.

POWER RANKINGS

While most draft prospects will say they don’t pay much attention to power rankings – articles ranking each prospect in order – it is difficult for them to ignore.

Draft literacy has increased across the industry and now there is more media and social media than ever before about the next generation coming through. Most of that interest surrounds where each draft hopeful stands in the pecking order.

This is a generation that is on social media more than ever before – and even if they do shut it out themselves, their friends are sure to bring it up.

Oakleigh Chargers midfielder Tom Gross knows this all too well, having suffered a similar slide to Moraes.

Looming as a top-10 pick at the beginning of the season, Gross was shunted out of the centre square at times with the Chargers and Vic Metro.

Playing for five teams across the year – Trinity Grammar in the Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria competition (AGSV) as along with the AFL Academy, Chargers, Vic Metro and AFL Academy – also had an impact as he regularly jumped between programs.

Like Moraes, the 181 centimetre prospect may also be available beyond pick 25 – even after an impressive national carnival where he earned All-Australian recognition.

Gross said keeping power rankings out of your mind is easier said than done for prospects.

“Obviously it’s a bit hard when your mates sort of send you things, but trying not to get caught up in it too much,” Gross said.

“Blokes can get caught up in obviously power rankings and phantom drafts, but I think social media is so big these days it is hard to look upon and probably change that.

“Probably ten years ago it probably wasn’t as big as it is now and getting talked up a bit now.”

One important message has helped Gross stay the course.

Moraes was one of those who was impacted by where he sat early on. But the less he focused on it, the more he enjoyed his footy.

“I kind of just started to have a laugh out of it. I kind of stopped taking the whole rankings stuff so seriously, which I did at the start of the year,” Moraes said.

“And once you can have a laugh about it, you see it a lot more big picture, it doesn’t really matter.

“Obviously it’s nice to be here on this and here on that, but once I realised it doesn’t really matter, I became a lot happier with my footy, the season became a lot more enjoyable.”

WORKING YOUR WAY BACK

Mraz embodies the drive required to become a successful AFL player.

The youngster did everything in his power to return to the field this year.

“On crutches my foot did not touch the ground at all, giving every chance to heal, taking every bone healing supplement, I tried everything just to get back,” Mraz said.

The Narre Warren North product still didn’t miss a session or a game – even while he was on crutches.

“Just wanted to stay around the boys on the sidelines, think I’ve done about 40,000 ground balls,” Mraz said with a smile.

“How I was willing to do pretty much anything to get back and play and just now I know it’s what I want to do, all I really think about is footy.”

The competitive defender worked his backside off at training and in his spare time while nursing his foot injury.

And while he didn’t make it back onto the field, the hard work paid off when it came to the national combine.

Mraz only started running a month before the combine and was warned not to test, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

He proceeded to run time trial in an impressive 6 minutes and 32 seconds.

“I always wanted to do combine and I was probably told not to, like you’re going to be unfit, probably not worth it kind of thing,” Mraz said.

“But I made sure I did everything, like upper body swimming, a lot of things between my legs and sit down battle ropes. All this stuff that I absolutely hated.

“After the two k I was just so grateful and proud of myself that I actually pushed through all them days of just trying to stay fit.”

Mraz appeared likely to be available around the same range as Moraes and Gross, but now might be taken inside the top 20, with GWS a potential suitor.

If he is selected that high, it will be thanks to his never say die attitude.

PROVING THE DOUBTERS WRONG

The common message to draftees is that getting on an AFL list is the most important thing, rather than the draft pick.

Pick 58 produced a dual Brownlow medallist by the name of Lachie Neale, while pick 79 from the 1990 AFL Draft was the price Essendon paid to secure another Brownlow medallist in James Hird.

But being overlooked over their peers can serve as motivation.

“I think this year I sort of aimed to be a first-round pick. I think they get a three year deal compared to (second round picks),” Gross said with a laugh.

“It definitely puts a chip on my shoulder seeing all the names in front of me. But I think I’ve sort of done enough this year and hopefully see how it goes.”

It certainly won’t be the main thing spurring on Moraes, though.

“Once I get into the club I guess maybe, there’s always that little motivation. I’m a pretty competitive kid as well so I guess that would kind of be there, just wanting to get the best out of myself,” Moraes said.

“It is obviously not going to be the only thing. Like, my main goal will be give everything to the club that drafted me and perform well for them.

“But in the process, if that’s proving people wrong, then sure.”

If this trio does slide, they have all the hallmarks of being steals for whichever club lands them.

“I seriously could not care less what pick I go, never cared in the first place. Just want to play footy and be so grateful to get that opportunity to play and then give it my all and hopefully be a steal,” Mraz said.