The 2019 National Draft has already provided a plethora of exciting talent, with many quickly rising to prominence or reaching star-of-the-competition status just a few years into their careers.
As with any AFL draft, there were players taken highly in 2019 whose careers haven't quite panned out to date, however, there are also plenty of later picks who have made meteoric rises to stardom.
For context, these were the original first 18 draft picks in 2019:
- Matt Rowell (Gold Coast Suns).
- Noah Anderson (Gold Coast Suns).
- Luke Jackson (Melbourne).
- Lachlan Ash (GWS Giants).
- Dylan Stephens (Sydney Swans).
- Fischer McAsey (Adelaide Crows).
- Hayden Young (Fremantle).
- Caleb Serong (Fremantle).
- Liam Henry (Fremantle).
- Tom Green (GWS Giants).
- Sam Flanders (Gold Coast Suns).
- Kysaiah Pickett (Melbourne).
- Will Day (Hawthorn).
- Miles Bergman (Port Adelaide).
- Cody Weightman (Western Bulldogs).
- Cooper Stephens (Geelong Cats).
- Brodie Kemp (Carlton).
- Mitchell Georgiades (Port Adelaide).
Note: all matched bids for Academy and Next Generation Academy prospects in this re-draft are based on what we know about how those players' careers have panned out, to date.
So, without further ado, here is the 2019 National Draft, re-done.
11. Gold Coast Suns: Kysaiah Pickett (Originally: Pick 12, Melbourne)
The Suns, unsuccessful with a Keidean Coleman bid at No. 10, opt for livewire small forward 'Kozzie' Pickett in our re-draft, joining a forward mix that includes Alex Sexton and Izak Rankine ahead of the 2020 season.
Pickett is one of just four premiership players from the 2019 crop of draftees.
