Melbourne have outlined the straightforward approach the club's list management and recruitment team will follow come this year's draft, with the Demons in a strong position with a pair of top 10 picks at their disposal.
After a trade with Essendon for Pick 9, Demons recruitment manager Jason Taylor has the Bombers' opening pick and the club's own first-round selection - Pick 5 - to use on Wednesday night.
The 2024 draft class has emerged as one of the deeper pools in recent years, with the top-end of this year's crop among the strongest in recent memory.
This week's intake will be the second successive draft the Demons hold multiple first-round selections in, having accrued Caleb Windsor and Koltyn Tholstrup a year ago.
Melbourne are in line to have access to one ofย Finn O'Sullivan, Harvey Langford, Alixzander Tauru or Sam Lalor when they're first on the clock, with Taylor excited by the level of talent on offer this year.
Speaking onย Gettable,ย Taylor said the Demons won't look into filling a list need with either of their early selections, instead acquiring the best talent available at each pick.
"They're all quality players, they all add something different to our current list," Taylor said of the names linked to the club's opening selection.
"They're high-end types and they're exciting types. All of those names are definitely (in consideration).
"This year we are really heavily focused on best available talent. Over the journey we have sometimes looked at need, but this year we've decided we're just going to pick the best talent."
Melbourne have a third selection for this year's draft - a fifth-round pick currently sitting 79th in the draft order. That selection could be used on one of the club's two NGA prospects in over-age defender Riak Andrew or crafty forward Ricky Mentha.
Both players are a live chance to land on the Demons' list as rookies come the cessation of the national intake, with Melbourne perhaps hoping for a draft slider to emerge once they're able to use their third selection.
Pick 79 should increase its place in the queue come the second night of the draft, with Academy and father-son selection bids to absorb a large group of picks across the second, third, and fourth rounds of the draft.
The 2024 AFL Draft will get underway on Wednesday night when the first round of selections are made, with all following picks to be confirmed on Thursday evening.
