AFL draft: The draftees who could line up in Round 1 2025, best SuperCoach rookie picks
The draft is done and positions have been locked in for 2025 – SuperCoach planning starts now. Our experts give their verdict on the new batch of rookie-price young guns.
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This draft class was talked up significantly, and footy fans are unlikely to be disappointed.
Expect to see a host of fresh faces next year.
The top-end was stacked with midfielders, some of which were ready for an AFL debut in 2024, let alone 2025.
In the second half of the draft, three mature-age talents finally got their AFL shot.
Who is ready to step in right away next year and provide your club an immediate boost?
These are the talents to watch out for in 2025.
Finn O’Sullivan (North Melbourne)
“He’s an impact man, so he’s going to be able to play from next year and he’s pretty exciting,” North Melbourne recruiting manager Will Thursfield said of the club’s prized recruit. Some say he’s the most talented player in the draft, too – so there’s good reason he still went at pick 2 despite an injury-interrupted year. Then there’s the comparison – in terms of how hard he works around the ground – to his second cousin, Sam Walsh. There might be plenty of competition for spots in the Kangaroos midfield, but 182cm teenager’s versatility and strength in the air means he’ll add to Alastair Clarkson’s line-up in other ways to begin with.
Jagga Smith (Carlton)
Don’t let his slim build fool you. Smith could have stepped into an AFL side this year, impressing in his three VFL games for Richmond where he averaged 27 disposals, six clearances and 103 SuperCoach points. The agile midfielder is an absolute ball-magnet, registering 50 disposals against the Western Jets and then another 40 the very next week, is super clean, makes good decisions and hit the scoreboard more as the year went on.
The No. 3 pick was also the top-ranked performer at the national carnival, winning 29 disposals and seven clearances per game. Smith was at number one on Carlton’s board and he compliments their current midfield mix nicely. It wouldn’t surprise to see him at the first centre bounce in round one alongside Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh.
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Sid Draper (Adelaide)
The Crows need more speed, power and explosiveness in the midfield – Enter Sid Draper. The local boy, who averaged 22 disposals, 12 contested possessions, five clearances and five tackles at senior level, is more than ready to go after mixing it with the big bodies this year. “That senior form would say he’d be pushing for selection in our team,” Adelaide recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie said after the draft. Draper trained with the club last summer and even then his running numbers impressed fitness guru Darren Burgess. The Crows were cautious with top pick Dan Curtin last season, but expect it to be different this time around.
Levi Ashcroft (Brisbane)
Win the flag, win the draft – it’s a good time to be a Brisbane fan. Just like his older brother, and Norm Smith Medallist, Will in his debut season, Levi is as ready as any player in this year’s pool to have an impact in 2025. Ashcroft, a three-time Coates League premiership player and two-time under-18 All-Australian, lands at the Lions after a dominant junior career and an equally dominant 35-disposal, 149-SuperCoach point performance in his one VFL appearance this year. Like his brother, he’s smart, clean and ultra-competitive and will push for a round 1 berth in Chris Fagan’s side.
Harvey Langford (Melbourne)
Yes, Melbourne has Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca and Jack Viney, but after that, its midfield mix is far from locked in. Last season, Tom Sparrow, Kozzie Pickett, Trent Rivers and the now-departed Alex Neale-Bullen all attended more than 20 per cent of centre bounces, highlighting the fluctuation at the bottom end of the rotation. Could Langford, a strong, 191cm big-bodied midfielder who won the Larke Medal as the best player at the national under-18 carnival, step straight in and improve that depth? Maybe, especially given his threat as a forward. “He’s ultra consistent, he’s got a high IQ, and he’s going to add some real value not only in the midfield, but forward of the ball as well.” Demons recruiting boss Jason Taylor said.
Josh Smillie (Richmond)
“When I’m playing, I just want to be a fierce competitor and have a winning mentality, and just play my best footy every game,” Smillie said on Melbourne radio after he was drafted. And it’s this foundation that should see the pick 7 feature prominently in his debut season. That and his big, powerful 195cm frame. The fact Richmond’s list turnover will force Adem Yze into playing the kids is just the clincher. Smillie can win the ball in tight, but also get forward and kick goals, giving Yze flexibility – and multiple reasons to pick him in 2025.
Tobie Travaglia (St Kilda)
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon played running-machine Darcy Wilson right away last season and Travaglia looks to be a similar case. The Bendigo Pioneers product played most of his footy across halfback this season where his silky ball-use and dash stood out. The new Saint would fit in nicely in defence, allowing Jack Sinclair to spend more time in the midfield. Travaglia was an all-Australian at the national championships, culminating in 25 disposals, three intercept marks and 130 SuperCoach points in the finale against Vic Country, and was a dominant force for the Pioneers in a variety of roles, including as a midfielder.
Leo Lombard (Gold Coast)
Lombard has the physical frame, ball-winning ability and electric speed to step in right away, and he has already produced plenty of highlights in his 11 games at VFL level – including being part of Gold Coast’s 2023 premiership at the age of 16. One of the best of them came in a stunning play against Essendon VFL where he started on the wing, received two handballs before slotting a running goal. Lombard collected 28 disposals and eight marks in his first VFL game for the year but his standout display against Coburg, where he had 22 disposals, 11 score involvements and booted three majors. If that wasn’t enough, he also was joint-winner of the Larke Medal at the under-18 championships and recorded the sixth best agility test of all-time at the draft combine, also finishing second in the 20m sprint.
Xavier Lindsay (Melbourne)
Good kicking is good football – and Melbourne’s second pick at the draft certainly does that. With the wings occupied by Ed Langdon and Caleb Windsor at the Demons, Lindsay, although lightly built, boasts a skill set – footy smarts, awareness, speed and a pinpoint kick – that could be put to good use across half-back early in his career at the top-level. Lindsay, who won the Morrish Medal as the best player in the Coates League after playing just 12 games, featured in a similar role for the AFL Academy side earlier this year.
Isaac Kako (Essendon)
Just as Nick Watson and Kysaiah Pickett did for their clubs, Kako can give the Essendon forward 50 an immediate injection of x-factor. And if there is one forward line that is crying out for a high-impact small forward, it is the Bombers. Kako’s freakish goal sense, speed and agility saw him attract a bid at pick 13. He kicked 20 goals for the Calder Cannons in 12 games while spending time in the midfield, and slotted eight majors at the national championships.
Joe Berry (Port Adelaide)
He’s watched Zak Butters very closely and the Power has likened him to club great Robbie Gray – now that’s a combination. “Joe has similar one-on-one ability, he can protect his space and manoeuvre players into a position where he can get the ball,” recruiting boss Geoff Parker said post-draft. “His finishing skills are like Robbie’s as well.” Berry lands at Port Adelaide, with Ken Hinkley out to add to his small forward stocks alongside Willie Rioli. With Joe Richards also arriving from Collingwood, it might be a Joe-off over summer.
Bo Allan (West Coast)
The Eagles got their man, and Allan has the athletic gifts and size to have an immediate impact at the rebuilding club. Allan was given plenty of opportunity at WAFL level this year, playing 11 games for Peel Thunder, including 15 disposals, 12 tackles and 107 SuperCoach points in just his third game. The 191cm West Australian has the potential to become a tall midfield option in the future but likely starts at halfback, where he can provide West Coast the daring run it sorely needs.
Murphy Reid (Fremantle)
Before the draft, Reid was described as a player who has “eyes in the back of his head”, so good is his vision in traffic. Yes, Scott Pendlebury’s name was also thrown around. Now, while he might not force his way into Fremantle’s crowded on-ball rotation, Murphy’s skills could see him have an impact on the outside or across half-forward early on. The 181cm teenager gets in the right spots to win the ball and, importantly, makes good decisions going forward.
Jobe Shanahan (West Coast)
Shanahan was another slider the Eagles managed to snap up and his standout performances for Essendon VFL suggests he can have an influence in 2025. The 195 centimetre key forward booted four goals on debut and followed it up with 2.3 and then 5.0 against Coburg, outshining Bombers big man Peter Wright in the process. Shanahan also had some big games for the Bendigo Pioneers at under-18 level, and there is a belief among recruiters that he could also fill a role as a key defender at the next level.
Riley Bice (Sydney)
Sam Clohesy turned heads in his first season at AFL level. Now, another rebounding defender off the Werribee VFL production line has the chance to do the same. Bice was shifted to halfback early in the season and thrived, getting onto the radar of AFL clubs including the Swans. This was Sydney list boss after Bice was drafted by the Swans with 41: “We think he has got AFL attributes that we really like. He has got some significant speed off half back, sees the game quite well, he can kick it, he has a really nice left foot and can change angles. We think he is a really good compliment to what we’ve got back there.” At 24, Bice is ready-made and his razor sharp left boot suits Sydney’s game style to a tee.
Sam Davidson (Western Bulldogs)
The Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal is just about the closest thing you can get to a ticket to the big time. Each of the past 17 winners of the VFL’s best young player award has gone on to play in the AFL – Gold Coast’s Sam Clohesy the most-recent example in 2023. The “Doc”, as Davidson is known given he’s studying medicine, is a plug-in-and-play forward, who booted 26 goals in the state league last season. His combination of marking power and speed at ground level might tempt new coach Luke Beveridge to add something different to his forward line in 2025.
Cody Anderson (Hawthorn)
A player dubbed ‘The Beast from the East’ screams immediate impact. Anderson isn’t sure where it originated, but it is certainly fitting given his imposing frame and relentless hunt for the footy and the man. The Hawks Next Generation Academy graduate is a tackling machine, averaging six tackles and six clearances per game for the Eastern Ranges, and stood up in his VFL debut for Box Hill, finishing with 16 disposals and kicking two goals. Anderson isn’t your archetypal big bodied midfielder either, possessing a burst of speed that belies his size. The Healesville product has only added to his muscle this year while working as a tree arborist.
Aidan Johnson (Melbourne)
Johnson was a surprise selection at pick 68 by the Demons, who had been tracking him since he won an Ovens and Murray league premiership alongside Shaun Mannagh in 2019 with Lavington. The 193cm forward didn’t dominate at VFL level this season, kicking 17 goals in 20 games in Weribee VFL’s premiership year, but he loves to crash a pack and has a thirst for the contest. Melbourne recruiting boss Jason Taylor believes the 24-year-old can even pinch-hit in the ruck at the next level. The Demons’ lack of key forward depth has been exposed at times, and Taylor feels Johnson can step in if required.
“We just think he could potentially have an instant impact for us and we are excited by what he can become,” he said on night two of the draft.
Originally published as AFL draft: The draftees who could line up in Round 1 2025, best SuperCoach rookie picks
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