While the third pick of the draft is the bronze medal selection, that doesn't mean that clubs aren't able to strike gold with the pick. While two clubs get to draft a player first, often a few hidden gems slip through this miniature crack.
Looking over the picks since 2000, there isn't the same depth as the first two selections. However, at the top end of the board, two of the greatest and most damaging players of all time find themselves selected at the 3rd pick.
In what was considered the hardest decision, the choice between Martin vs Judd went back and forth with little separating the two superstars.
Even further down the list, there are multiple club B&F winners, All-Australians and even a player with an (unofficial) award named after them.
This list also looks to get even stronger over the next few years, with Luke Jackson, Izak Rankine and Will Phillips.
Even though each of these names are highly talented players who could someday make their way onto this list, they currently don't have the sustained success to find themselves on this list.
Given a few other star players such as Trent Croad and Shannon Grant were both selected before 2000, this has rendered them ineligible for this list.
We have already looked at the top 10 number 1 and number 2 selections since 2000.
After plenty of thought and collaboration, we now take a look at the 10 best players selected with the 3rd selection of every draft since the 2000 draft.
6. Angus Brayshaw (2014)
Drafted by: Melbourne
Current appearances: 119-games
Brayshaw was a highly rated recruit in 2014 and was selected early by Melbourne in that season's draft. While showing promise in his first season with the club, injuries and concussions interrupted his second and third seasons of football.
In 2018, however, Brayshaw was able to have his first full season. With Melbourne making it to the preliminary finals, he was one of the key performers in the Demonโs rise into contention. In a career-best season, he had 26.1 disposals, 4.5 tackles, 4.3 clearances and 5.1 inside 50s.
So solid was his offering, Brayshaw ended up finishing 3rd in the Brownlow Medal count, and 6th in the club's best and fairest count.
Since 2018, the helmeted Demon has had to sacrifice individual stats for the team. By spending less time in the centre, Brayshaw allowed other midfielders to flourish. This forfeiture of minutes helped the Demons win the 2021 Premiership trophy.
Over the course of his 119-game career, he averaged 19.3 disposals, 3.8 tackles and 3.4 clearances. While still playing great football for Melbourne, if Brayshaw was on a less star-studded team, his numbers would be a lot closer to his 2018 campaign.
