The AFL mid-season draft kicks off tonight, which will see state league players realise their AFL dream by being drafted to an AFL club half-way through the season.
AFL clubs need to have an open list spot in order to draft a player, meaning clubs need to move long-term injured or recently retired players to the inactive list in order to free up list spots for the mid-season draft.
Initially introduced in 1990, the mid-season draft has been a thing of the past for the AFL, who scrapped the draft in 1993.
It wasn't until 2019 where the AFL reintroduced the draft, before going into hiatus again in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and coming back in 2021.
There have been some great players to come out of the two mid-season drafts so far, with players showing great promise at the top level.
Before the third edition of the AFL mid-season draft kicks off tonight, check out the 10 best players who have come through the draft since 2019 down below.
1. Marlion Pickett (Richmond)
Definitely the most famous mid-season draft selection in its history goes to Marlion Pickett, who was picked by Richmond with pick 13 in the 2019 mid-season draft, coming from South Fremantle in the WAFL.
It was a famous selection as Pickett would go on to debut in the 2019 Grand Final against GWS and play a big role, even earning Norm Smith votes for his performance, and became the first player to win a premiership in their debut game since 1926.
Midfielder
Disposals
Tackles
Clearances
Pickett went onto play a pivotal role in midfield and defence in Richmond's 2020 premiership side as well, winning a second premiership in just his 20th game.
Pickett has all the accolades that the other mid-season draftees don't have, which puts him on top of this list alongside his big time playmaking and ability to have an impact on a game.
Averages 14.4 disposals per game across his 45 games so far in his career, and is carving out a consistent and inspiring AFL career.
