We've scattered back through each National Draft of the past decade to uncover every club's bargain pickup.
This list looks at each club's ability to recruit young prospects in the National Draft, whether it be top-end talents or diamonds in the rough.
Each player was selected primarily by their value for pick, with many players being taken outside the first round. Some players have demanded a spot despite an early draft night selection, however these picks have been reserved for the absolute cream of the crop.
This list only includes National Draft selections - excluding Rookie and/or Mini Draft picks, while father-son and Academy selections have also not been considered.ย
18. Western Bulldogs
Marcus Bontempelli (pick 4, 2013)
Another early pick on the list, Bontempelli quickly rose to superstardom in his first few seasons, displaying Pendlebury-like poise and class, before a fairy-tale premiership in 2016 solidified his status amongst the best in the competition.
To date, he is a 2019 Champion Player of the Year, four-time All-Australian and four-time best & fairest winner. He is also a notably accomplished leader, three times named captain of the AFL 22under22 side, All-Australian vice-captain in 2021, Bulldogs club captain since 2020 and recipient of the 2021 Players Association Best Captain award.
His game-day impact sits in isolation to most midfielders in the competition, routinely ranking atop the league in score involvements and inside 50s instead of disposals or tackles. The ability to influence games forward of centre in this way sets him apart from the rest.
His three-goal, 25-disposal display in a grand final loss to Melbourne was a memorable performance and symbolic of 'The Bont' at his best.
Honourable Mention/s: Caleb Daniel, pick 46 (2014), Bailey Dale, pick 45 (2014)
