Top 10 draft picks vs. the rest: Who wins?

Each year football clubs go to extreme lengths to secure early picks in the AFL Draft, but just how important are they?

As the AFL world gears up for the 2018 edition of the draft, we at ESPN feel it's time to have a little bit of fun.

We have cast our eyes over the past 20 drafts and devised two modern-day teams; one made up of top 10 picks and another made up of players picked outside the top 10 (including rookie drafts).

For the purpose of this exercise, players have been selected based on form over the past 24 months. It's important to note that form over a player's entire career hasn't been taken into consideration.

The teams are both elite and the match-ups are tantalising. So, which one wins?

Top 10 picks

B: Nick Vlastuin, Phil Davis, Jordan Lewis
HB: Lachie Whitfield, Michael Hurley, Nathan Wilson

R: Paddy Ryder, Patrick Dangerfield, Josh Kelly
C: Jack Macrae, Dustin Martin, Andrew Gaff

HF: Jeremy Cameron, Josh Kennedy (WCE), Chad Wingard
F: Josh Caddy, Lance Franklin, Jordan De Goey

I/C: Trent Cotchin, Joel Selwood, Scott Pendlebury, Marcus Bontempelli

Em: Stephen Coniglio, Adam Treloar, Angus Brayshaw

When you've got six premiership medals sitting on the bench, you know your starting 18 is stacked. From Dangerfield to Martin, Macrae to Gaff, this midfield has an enormous amount of class and quality.

The forward line is imposing, too. The game's two best key forwards in Franklin and Kennedy lead the line from a host of small and medium-sized stars.

However, it's clear that clubs have traditionally used top 10 picks to draft midfielders and promising key forwards. The defence in this team, although still strong, may struggle to contain the star-studded forward line of 'the rest'.

The rest

B: Rory Laird, Alex Rance, Jeremy Howe
HB: Zach Tuohy, Jeremy McGovern, Dane Rampe

R: Max Gawn, Nat Fyfe, Tom Mitchell
C: Steele Sidebottom, Patrick Cripps, Elliott Yeo

HF: Robbie Gray, Tom Lynch (RICH), Jack Gunston
F: Toby Greene, Jack Riewoldt, Luke Breust

I/C: Ben Brown, Josh Kennedy (SYD), Luke Parker, Dayne Beams

Em: Lachie Neale, Luke Shuey, Eddie Betts

"Gawn, taps it down to Cripps, handballs out to Fyfe who drills a beautiful low pass to Lynch on the lead." Or Gunston on the lead. Or Breust, Greene or Gray.

Let's face it, you don't need a top 10 pick to nail a draft selection. This team is stacked with talent across every line, and boasts a spine sure to keep opposition coaches up at night.

Each of the six forwards are genuine match-winners, while the interchange and emergency lists alone feature nine All-Australian jackets. The toughest question might not be which team wins but, rather, who captains each team. It's too hard to call in this 22.

So how do they match up against each other?

That's enough about the teams - we all know what matters is the match-ups. For the purpose of this, the top 10 draft picks have been shown in bold.

B: Nick Vlastuin, Phil Davis, Jordan Lewis
F: Toby Greene, Jack Riewoldt, Luke Breust

HB: Lachie Whitfield, Michael Hurley, Nathan Wilson
HF: Jack Gunston, Tom Lynch (Rich), Robbie Gray

C: Jack Macrae, Dustin Martin, Andrew Gaff
C: Steele Sidebottom, Patrick Cripps, Elliott Yeo

R: Paddy Ryder, Patrick Dangerfield, Josh Kelly
R: Max Gawn, Nat Fyfe, Tom Mitchell

HF: Jeremy Cameron, Josh Kennedy (West Coast), Chad Wingard
HB: Zach Tuohy, Jeremy McGovern, Dane Rampe

F: Josh Caddy, Lance Franklin, Jordan De Goey
B: Rory Laird, Alex Rance, Jeremy Howe

I/C: Trent Cotchin, Joel Selwood, Scott Pendlebury, Marcus Bontempelli
I/C: Ben Brown, Josh Kennedy (Sydney), Luke Parker, Dayne Beams

Em: Stephen Coniglio, Adam Treloar, Angus Brayshaw
Em: Lachie Neale, Luke Shuey, Eddie Betts