AFL Draft 2024: Talent Ambassador Kevin Sheehan reveals and rates his top 75 prospects

There might not be a clear-cut No. 1 fancy, but recruiters believe the talent pool is deeper in this year’s draft. So, who’s on the radar? AFL Draft guru Kevin Sheehan names every gun junior footballer to watch.

There is one big unknown about this year’s AFL national draft.

Who will be the No. 1 pick?

There’s a crop of contenders, which is headlined by big-bodied Eastern Ranges midfielder Josh Smillie, classy Oakleigh Chargers onballer Finn O’Sullivan and Brisbane Lions father-son prospect Levi Ashcroft.

Sandringham Dragons intercept defender Luke Trainor has also pushed himself up among the very top bracket of prospects on the back of a bumper start to the season.

But while there might not be a clear-cut No. 1 fancy — as there was with Harley Reid this time last year — what is known is that 2024 looks like being another strong draft stacked with top-end midfield talent.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE TOP 75 PROSPECTS FOR THE 2024 DRAFT

Luke Trainor has pushed himself towards the top of draft boards around the country. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos

Trainor aside, most of the top-10 picks this year are likely to be used on midfielder, with many of them set to come from Victoria.

Recruiters believe there could be a little more depth of talent in this draft compared to last year, where the top dozen prospects were largely agreed upon and there were mixed views on the rest after that.

Scouts will have a clearer picture of just what is on offer after this year’s under-18 national championships.

That crucial tournament kicks off on May 28 with a fixture between South Australia and the Allies and is set to conclude with a clash between rivals Vic Metro and Vic Country on July 14.

Along with the No. 1 pick contenders, there will be plenty of other names to watch in the championships.

Ashcroft – the son of three-time Lions premiership player Marcus – is only one of the father-son prospects available to clubs this year.

Adelaide has access to marking forward Tyler Welsh (son of Scott), Carlton can pick up classy twins Ben and Lucas Camporeale (sons of Scott) and Port Adelaide can match bids on Rome Burgoyne (son of Peter) and Louie Montgomery (son of Brett).

A raft of northern academy and Next Generation Academy prospects are also worth keeping an eye on, including Sam Marshall (Brisbane Lions), Isaac Kako and Jayden Nguyen (both Essendon), Leonardo Lombard (Gold Coast), Logan Smith (GWS), Ricky Mentha (Melbourne), Joel Cochran (Sydney) and Malakai Champion (West Coast).

All those players made the cut in the top 75 draft prospects for 2024, which has been compiled exclusively for this masthead by veteran AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheehan.

Check out the full list with complete player bios below.

Originally published as AFL Draft 2024: Talent Ambassador Kevin Sheehan reveals and rates his top 75 prospects