Recruiters have been excited about the 2026 draft crop for a few years now. A high-quality spectacle on grand final day at the MCG for the u17s Futures game is always a decent indication of what to expect in 12 months time, and it was clear with the incisive ball movement and strong marking that this class has high-end talent at the top and runs deep with quality footballers.
It's also one of the most loaded draft classes for key position talent to come through the pathways in many a year. A glut of talls in Ethan Herbert, Benji van Rooyen, Aidan McCartney, Xavier Ladbrook and Lewis Houndsome just missed the cut.
The 2026 crop is headlined by two club-tied talents. Dougie Cochrane and Cody Walker have produced phenomenal junior careers to this date and loom as extremely high picks for Port Adelaide and Carlton to match respectively.
Twelve months out from the 2026 AFL Draft, this is ESPN's way-too-early top 10 prospects to track.
1. Dougie Cochrane (Port Adelaide NGA)
Central Districts/South Australia
FWD/MID, 196cm
There are few players to come through the pathways with the profile of Cochrane. The roaming key forward is springy and has a burst of speed to separate on the lead, which he also uses as a tall midfielder to exit congestion. He's a long, booming kick of the football and times his leaps to perfection with sticky hands, marking out in front and competing well in packs. His aerial dominance, dexterity on the ground and athletic profile is a ridiculous combination, and he kicked four goals - in the first half - of his SANFL debut to rubberstamp credentials. Cochrane's Indigenous background ties him to the Power.
2. Cody Walker (Carlton Father-Son)
Bendigo Pioneers/Vic Country
MID, 184cm
Walker runs with the familiar hunch of his dad Andrew, but he's a very different player to the high-flying forward. A pure midfielder with growing contested craft, Walker is at his best in space with lightning agility coupled with confidence to hold onto the ball and pick out damaging options. He gets forward to kick long running goals, uses his power in one-on-one contests and runs all day with an elite work ethic. Walker is already training with the Blues in the lead-in to Christmas.
3. Harry Van Hattum
Northern Knights/Vic Metro
RUC/FWD, 202cm
Van Hattum is one of the most exciting ruck prospects of the decade. He boasts a big frame to continue growing into but is already strong-bodied tall which, coupled with his leap and running power, makes him near-on impossible to contain. Van Hattum routinely grabs the ball out of the ruck, can follow up at ground level with skill and has evolved his forward game to become a presence when resting.
4. Arki Butler
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro
MID/FWD, 180cm
Butler will set himself for a heavy dose of midfield time next year, but he has amazing value as a powerful small forward. The Dragons star is lively with good burst but earns most of his opportunity with smart reading of the play and positioning. His craft is elite in the forward half and he works himself into the ground when he gets chances on-ball.
5. Marlon Neocleous
Gippsland Power/Vic Country
FWD/MID, 168cm
Neocleous is diminutive, but don't pigeonhole him as a small forward. Up afield he can inject energy on-ball, and looms as a super damaging weapon in a variety of roles. Neocelous offers quintessential craft as a small forward, kicking goals in a variety of ways from open play and pressuring opponents with his proactiveness without the ball.
6. Heath Mellody
Claremont/Western Australia
MID/DEF, 181cm
Mellody had a strong season, then exploded in his finals campaign for Claremont to put himself in this upper echelon. A strong-running outside midfielder, his greatest strength may be his aerial work, able to link play with strong hands as an outlet on a wing, or intercept and kickstart play with his positioning off halfback. Mellody is a pure footballer with good instincts and smart decision-making.
7. Lucas Robinson (Fremantle NGA)
South Fremantle/Western Australia
MID, 189cm
The standout inside midfielder to this point is Robinson, a bulldozing contested player who only knows one way. Robinson's overwhelming strength and power sees him collect dizzying numbers with regulation, and he stood up well on grand final day against the Claremont midfield. Robinson can move forward with strong hands in the air, but often chooses to handball instead of kick. Linked to Fremantle due to his Zimbabwean heritage after the Dockers reviewed his status as a West Coast-tied prospect due to his home being on the other side of their NGA catchment.
8. Jack Pickett
Geelong Falcons/Vic Country
FWD, 193cm
Pickett plays as an old school deep forward, using his physicality to advantage and protecting the drop zone of the ball. He's an accurate and long-kicking set shot of the ball and thrives when the ball is delivered to advantage with great hands out in front on the lead. Pickett has a limited game outside of his excellent work as a presenting forward.
9. Koby LeCras
West Perth/Western Australia
FWD, 191cm
LeCras is the nephew of West Coast great Mark, but has added height and aerial ability to the sharpshooting medium forward. An elite reader of the ball in flight, LeCras does his work early to create position and routinely takes impressive contested marks inside 50. His nous to find the goals in open play is elite and he can move up the ground to impact in the air as well.
10. Kodah Edwards
South Adelaide/South Australia
MID, 183cm
There's a lot to like about Edwards' style of play, from his hard-nosed courage at the coalface to his energetic forward running and scoreboard impact. He's a quick-thinking midfielder who may play his best football up forward where his elite skill execution under pressure and want to impact physically are valuable traits. Edwards will endear himself to fans with his selfless style of play and unbelievable courage in the air.