PICK ME: Marcus Bontempelli is the joker in the draft pack with nearly every top 10 AFL club lurking
EXCLUSIVE PICK ME VIDEO: MARCUS Bontempelli is the joker in the pack and could be fourth pick in the AFL draft.
MARCUS Bontempelli is the joker in the draft pack.
Could a tall, lanky midfielder who averaged seven kicks and 67 SuperCoach points for Vic Metro this year really be the fourth name called at Thursday's AFL draft?
"Definitely," a chief recruiter said.
PICK ME: WATCH EXCLUSIVE HIGHLIGHTS AND ANALYSIS OF BONTEMPELLI IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
The man being billed as the next Scott Pendlebury met the Western Bulldogs at draft combine but if they opt for James Aish instead, Bontempelli could fall to just about any club up until the Giants at No. 14, such is the white-hot interest.
Collingwood has also done work on the cousin of North's Nick Dal Santo and could pull the trigger at pick 10.
SEE WHERE BONTEMPELLI SITS IN CHAMPION DATA'S POWER RANKINGS
One recruiter rates the proven goalkicker the best player in the draft.
Bontempelli, who is still 17, doesn't have a three-year sample size of classy, A-grade footy littered with accolades like most top-10 picks, but what he does have is enormous of upside.
"Boom or bust. And right now, boom is the word,'' another talent expert said.
"His consistency is a major issue but he dominated some TAC Cup games and a lot of his attributes are remarkable.''
The draft bolter transformed into an inside-outside specialist late this year, with his long arms feeding out clearances and his long strides enabling him to dance around opponents - much like the Collingwood superstar.
In half of Bontempelli's Northern Knights games he collected at least 20 disposals and booted multiple goals.
But his final outing he had just 10 touches.
"That sums him up. I've got him as the 17th best player in the draft, but he'll definitely go higher. He lacks a bit of oomph and speed and Pendles has more agility, but they share the same dance moves,'' the expert said.
Follow Sam Landsberger on Twitter
Bontempelli still struggles to believe the hype.
"It's a fresh experience to be spoken about in that light so I'm still in a bit of shock,'' he said.
"This year I was able to show I can mix a contested and uncontested game and win my own footy as a tall midfielder, whereas last year I got pigeonholed as an outside player.
"My aerobic base and my tank is something a lot of taller players probably don't have, so that's given me a great strength to be able to go through the midfield and run out a game.''
Bontempelli models his game on Pendlebury and says he is desperate to put in the hard work to realise his glittering potential.
"I try to emulate how (Pendles) moves in traffic and creates space for himself and makes time for himself, which takes pressure off his decision making,'' he said.
He's trying to improve his speed and running style, while Bontempelli said being able to tap into Dal Santo proved invaluable this year.
"He gave me advice late in the year on how to break tags. He said to use my height and drag opponents deep and to take a grab, or to take (my opponent) to a teammate to outnumber them."
MARCUS BONTEMPELLI
CLUB: Northern Knights / Marcellin College
AGE: 17
HEIGHT: 193cm
WEIGHT: 83kg
POSITION: Midfielder
SUPERCOACH AVG.: 120pts (TAC Cup)
DRAFT RANGE: 4-14
IN THE MIX: Dogs (4), Pies (6/10), Lions (7), Blues (13), GWS (14)
PLAYS LIKE: Scott Pendlebury
TOMORROW: The brother of a gun
