The 2023 AFL Draft is near, and with the draft orderย locked in until night one of the count, recruiters and scouts are beginning to settle on their plans for this year's intake.

The opening night will see the entire set of first-round selections taken, with the current 22 picks potentially ballooning out to 28 selections following Academy and father-son bids.

North Melbourne have five selections for the first round, while West Coast are in line to open the draft with Pick 1 and are assumed to have Bendigo's Harley Reid in their sights.

So how will the entire first round play out at the 2023 AFL Draft?

Here isย Zero Hanger'sย second edition Mock Draft, which covers the first round of the draft - totalling 28 selections.

For the purpose of this exercise, we have decided not to predict live trades for the draft, with the order remaining as it currently reads with the addition of matched Academy and father-son bids.ย 

This exercise follows our first edition Mock Draft from October, with our second edition set to look at possible alternative selections for a range of clubs and showcase the ripple effect of those changes.ย 

15. Pick 15 - Sydney: Riley Hardeman

Hardeman's 1st Mock Draft Selection: Pick 18 (Adelaide)
Sydney's 1st Mock Draft Selection:ย James Leake

Position: Defender
Height: 185cm
Weight: 75kg
State: Western Australia
Club: Caversham

The Swans selected James Leake in our first edition Mock Draft, but with the Tassie teenager off the board when Kinnear Beatson steps up, the Swans look to Hardeman as their go-to guy.

With Sydney's trend of often taking the best player available on the board, the dashing Western Australia skipper joins a rich list of black swans who call the Harbour City home.

Hardeman offers plenty of run and chase from the backline and could be an immediate favourite for senior coach John Longmire given his work rate and leadership qualities.

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1 COMMENT

  1. Well, I certainly hope this is NOT the case….

    Goad rather than Green. – he has much more room for improvement and is better athletically – and he is not shy of attempting goals.

    I’d not think it wise to pick a Tasmanian who will very possibly end up in the new club there, and it’s always better for the crows to pick locals rather than Victorians.

    This draft is by a Victorian who thinks that the Crows are based in Melbourne.

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