Each year AFL clubs decide their list strategies and assess whether a strong draft hand is likely to yield benefits comparable to the trade assets the picks are worth.
As clubs push higher up the draft board they gain the security that they can draft the players they rate the highest before other clubs and, consequently, increase their chance of securing successful long-term recruits.
Nonetheless, this strategy is not foolproof and hindsight exposes the difficult reality of ranking the ability and potential of players before they have been introduced to an AFL environment.
In this list, the first round of the 2016 National Draft will be reassessed with the benefit of six years of AFL data.
Below is the original 2016 first round:
In this draft year, a number of players were taken as father-son and academy selections (eg. Will Setterfield, Jack Bowes, Harry Perryman). The nominal draft order will be adjusted to reflect what clubs would have actually taken into this hypothetical draft.
Where these players are selected it will be assumed that the clubs that matched their bids in the original 2016 draft will continue to do so regardless of where they land in this order.
Hayward finds himself being selected in the exact same position as he was in the original 2016 draft.
However, a shuffling of father-son and academy selections means that Hayward lands at Brisbane instead of Sydney.
He has been an important player for Sydney, playing in every game in 2022 during their impressive run to the Grand Final.
Hayward's ability to consistently hit the scoreboard would nicely compliment a Brisbane outfit that recently lost Daniel McStay to Collingwood.
Essendon have suffered from a significant lack of speed in their forward line, a deficiency that the returning Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti is unlikely to entirely solve.
Although Rioli is not a speedster per se, he is exceptionally quick to read the play and possesses the agility to weave in tight confinements.
He is an excitement machine that, if hypothetically drafted to Essendon, would allow Jake Stringer more freedom to play as an out-and-out midfielder.
Another feature of Rioli's game that is highly attractive to Essendon is his tackling pressure within the forward 50, a specific weakness of a side criticised regularly for lacking intensity.
Mitch Lewis can be characterised as a 'quiet achiever' given his outstanding statistical dominance in an otherwise largely uninspired Hawthorn outfit.
In 2022 he averaged two and a half goals per game and was the most accurate forward in the AFL despite playing for the 13th-best side.
Sydney are not bereft of forward talent but it is not difficult to see the value he could add to their side, especially with Lance Franklin nearing the end of his illustrious career.
With the equivalent pick in the original draft Sydney selected Will Hayward, and whilst he has been an important player for them, it is difficult not to salivate over the potential addition of Lewis to their forward line.
One of the greatest weaknesses of the Western Bulldogs last year was their leaky defence, ranking 14th for scores per entry against and 11th for total points against during the 2022 regular season.
Henry is the perfect antidote to that deficiency given that he is a premiership-winning defender who plays with wisdom and strength.
He finished second in the Geelong best-and-fairest in 2021 and has proven that he is just as capable of matching up against the game's best forwards as he is adept at peeling off as an interception machine.
Given that the Bulldogs drafted Lewis Young originally, it makes sense that they might take Henry instead in this hypothetical draft.
The retirement of Robbie Gray left a void in the small forward stocks at Alberton, one which was filled during the most recent trade period by Junior Rioli and Francis Evans.
However, if Port Adelaide had drafted Stengle in 2016 they might instead have an All-Australian small forward entering the prime of his career playing alongside young stars Connor Rozee and Zak Butters.
Now a premiership player, Stengle was plucked from the proverbial AFL scrap heap by a strong Geelong side and has repaid their faith in spades.
It is clear that Stengle has benefited hugely from a strong Geelong culture, and Port Adelaide would be well-poised to take on the admittedly difficult task of turning 2016 Stengle into the player he has become.
The former number one pick in the 2016 draft slides to Pick 16 in this redraft despite winning the Rising Star Award in his debut season.
A natural leader, the quadruple AFLPA 22under22 selected star has failed to fill the shoes of veteran Dyson Heppell in a full-time midfield role, with form and injury issues constraining him to the role of a medium defender.
Further hindering his development is the fact that McGrath played more than 20 games in each of his first three seasons but has failed to do so in any of his last three.
Nonetheless, Brisbane would be thrilled with this hypothetical acquisition and his qualities perfectly suit the tough outfit, as highlighted by his winning of the Adam Ramanauskas Most Courageous Player Award in 2020.
In this hypothetical scenario Todd Marshall ends up at the same club he was originally drafted to in the same equivalent position.
It is an open secret that Ken Hinkley is a big admirer of Marshall, and it is not difficult to see why.
Marshall is a deadly accurate key forward that stands at 198cm tall, has a strong set of hands and led Port Adelaide's goalkicking in 2022.
He is on track to becoming one of the highest volume key forwards in the competition and Port Adelaide would view pick 15 as a bargain for the talented tall.
The Fremantle Dockers have been the beneficiary of one of the most underrated defenders in the competition in Brennan Cox since drafting him at pick 41.
In this re-draft it is Adelaide that benefit from the services of Cox, who was originally drafted as a versatile forward/defender out of South Australia.
Cox was the runner-up in Fremantle's best-and-fairest in 2022 in a season where the purple outfit exceeded expectations, and at 195cm and 100kg he is a sizeable figure that would be beneficial to an Adelaide side that leaked goals last year.
A pairing between Cox and Jordon Butts would also put less pressure on Tom Doedee and allow him to roam more freely within the defensive 50.
A bid for the first and only father-son selection on this list comes earlier than it did originally in 2016, with Adelaide choosing to bid on the talented Josh Daicos in this re-draft at Pick 13.
Daicos is a gun wingman with elite speed and agility that is rated highly by Collingwood, punctuated by his top 10 finish in their best and fairest this year.
The ongoing uncertainty over the fitness of Paul Seedsman after a serious concussion leaves a spot on the wing opposite to Jordan Dawson open, but it is difficult to imagine the Pies not bidding on a son of the legendary Peter Daicos.
Daicos has shown continued improvement each year he has been in the AFL system and has developed into one of the premier wingman in the competition with a knack for scoring in the forward half.
West Coast is entering a new era after significant list turnover in the aftermath of their 2018 Premiership, and who better to usher them into a bright future than a long-term replacement for retired key forward Josh Kennedy.
Enter Nick Larkey, the young forward averaging just shy of two goals a game for a side languishing at the bottom of the ladder.
At just 24 years of age Larkey has led the Kangaroos goalkicking for two consecutive years, using elite precision in front of goal to convert despite a lack of opportunities in front of goal.
He has been thrown into the deep end as a young key position player drawing the best defender every week, and a partnership between him and Jack Darling would be mutually beneficial for West Coast and Larkey.
Ridley is one of just a handful of players in this draft that has won a best and fairest, having prevailed over star onballer Zach Merrett in 2020 after a breakout year.
He is an important defender for Essendon and would fit nicely into a North Melbourne defensive unit that is often marred by injury.
Ridley is a candidate to succeed Dyson Heppell as Essendon captain in the future which is indicative of leadership qualities that would be beneficial to the Kangaroos.
He averaged 15 kicks a game in 2022 and is an excellent user of the footy and reader of the play.
There aren't many rookie selections who are as versatile as Marshall, an athletic and mobile player who is effective as both a ruckman and a key forward.
He cuts an imposing figure standing at 201cm and is currently signed to a five-year deal with St Kilda expiring in 2027 as their predominant ruckman after Paddy Ryder's retirement.
Sydney currently uses Tom Hickey as a sole ruckman interchanging with makeshift tall Sam Reid (and occasionally youngster Joel Amartey), and the retirement of Callum Sinclair and delisting of Sam Naismith this year are symptomatic of years of instability within their ruck stocks.
Rowan Marshall has developed as an understudy to Paddy Ryder at St Kilda, and in this hypothetical draft his apprenticeship would instead be under decorated ruckman-turned-coach Dean Cox.
It is difficult to imagine a scenario where GWS fail to match a bid for prized academy player Isaac Cumming.
In the original draft GWS matched a bid from cross-town rivals Sydney at pick 20 for Cumming, and in this re-draft their hand is forced at an earlier stage of the draft.
Since being drafted the six-foot defender with genuine pace and a cool head has put his skills to good use as an important intercept defender.
Cumming has been a regular fixture for the Giants after breaking out in 2021, having now achieved consecutive best-and-fairest finishes within the top 10.
In the original draft Gold Coast took Will Brodie and Jack Bowes in consecutive picks with the ninth and tenth selections respectively.
Just two picks later, North Melbourne added their reigning dual best-and-fairest winner and vice-captain Jy Simpkin to their list.
Gold Coast is surely envious of what Simpkin has achieved after passing on drafting him in 2016, especially given that the two players they selected in his stead are also midfielders.
Rubbing salt in the wound is the fact that Gold Coast has chosen to give up high picks in consecutive years in order to offload the significant salaries of Bowes and Brodie from their books.
In this re-draft Darcy does not move clubs but is picked 31 selections earlier because other sides would assuredly be clambering for his services.
Darcy has a physical presence that has seen him draw comparisons to former wrecking-ball Shane Mumford, and fans are often surprised to learn that he is just 24 years of age.
He won the best-and-fairest at Fremantle last year and is a crucial figure in their young side as their premiership window beckons.
It is difficult to imagine the Dockers passing on the opportunity to draft the heir to the Aaron Sandilands throne in Cockburn.
The stocks of Tim English have never been higher heading into a season where the ruckman who have dominated the competition for the entirety of his career, Brodie Grundy and Max Gawn, are playing on the same team.
English has gradually added size to his frame during his six AFL seasons and now stands at 207cm and 103kg, an imposing presence that compliments his already highly developed skill set.
Gold Coast already has All-Australian ruckman and co-captain Jarrod Witts dominating the centre square, but adding English in 2016 would have allowed him to develop at a more suitable rate after struggling when thrown into the deep end at the Bulldogs.
He would be a very hand foil to Witts and a longer-term option than the 30-year-old who suffered from a long-term knee injury last year.
Luke Ryan is one of the biggest bolters in this re-draft, rising 61 positions after impressing during his time at Fremantle.
Ryan was selected at 20 years of age in 2016 and is therefore one of the older players of this crop, but the 26-year-old is in the prime of his career and would benefit a Carlton side that is looking to push into the top four.
His ability as a defender would have been of particular benefit to Carlton in 2022 as they faced a key-defender crisis following injuries to key personnel and the premature retirement of Liam Jones.
Ryan has won a best-and-fairest and All-Australian selection while at Fremantle, and the club has rewarded him with a contract extension that will make him a Docker until at least 2027 after another sublime season in Perth.
Despite putting together a stellar career to date, Taranto finds himself sliding from GWS's second pick to Gold Coast's fourth in this re-draft.
GWS's expansion team rivals would be delighted to welcome newly-minted Tiger Taranto onto their list to partner the All-Australian Touk Miller and exciting talents Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson in their exciting midfield.
Taranto won the Kevin Sheedy Medal as the best GWS player in 2019 after a stellar season and, as a bigger-bodied specimen, he would be a useful player for a young and developing Gold Coast side.
In this re-draft McCluggage does not shift from his original draft position and therefore remains at the club that originally drafted him in the Brisbane Lions.
McCluggage was again named in the All-Australian squad this year, his fourth consecutive year after being first named in 2019.
This did not translate to selection in the best 22, but the 24-year-old has now completed his positional switch from being an out-and-out wingman to being a regular fixture at centre bounces.
He has proven himself adept at translating his skills in the regular season into finals footy, an important attribute as the Lions look to contend for a Premiership in 2023 and beyond.
Tom Stewart has proven to be one of the greatest mature-age draft steals of all time, having exceeded all expectations exponentially since his arrival at Geelong.
Stewart is a best-and-fairest winner, four-time All-Australian and a premiership player after being drafted at the age of 23.
He is a member of the Cats leadership group and is hotly tipped to replace Joel Selwood as captain, but if GWS had selected him he might be leading a Giants side that has been criticised for a lack of on-field leadership.
His defensive prowess would see him fit neatly in a backline that is filled with young talent that could benefit from his ability and leadership.
Originally taken at pick 29, Bolton has become one of the most exciting young talents in the AFL.
He recently added five years to his contract at Richmond in a deal that will ensure that he remains with the club until 2028, but in this re-draft he would be plying his trade under Brad Scott in 2023.
Bolton had a breakout year in 2022, building on an electric 2021 season by kicking 43 goals and finishing in the top-five of the Tigers best-and-fairest for the third consecutive year.
Given that he is just 24 years of age and considered by many to be the heir to Dustin Martin's throne as the attacking juggernaut at Punt Road, it would be a no-brainer for Essendon to select Bolton and introduce some x-factor into their rebuilding list.