Richmond’s likely top five selections, the bolters earning interest, expected early trades: 20+ AFL Draft whispers

With the 2025 AFL Draft just days away, you can remain updated with all the latest whispers in the lead-up to the count kicking off on Wednesday night.

Which clubs are being linked to which players, and what trades are expected to unfold at the AFL Draft?

We have all the latest intel ahead of this year’s AFL Draft, including over 20 rumours on how this year’s intake might unfold…

Draft Whispers

• Geelong Falcons co-captain Josh Lindsay has been strongly linked to the Western Bulldogs’ first-round selection, currently at Pick 14. Lindsay is viewed by most industry sources as sitting somewhere in the 12-20 range of the pool, and he would add defensive dash and an incisive kick to the back half with Ed Richards playing more midfield time.
• Hawthorn has been linked heavily to Eastern Ranges half-back Oskar Taylor with Pick 10. He would add bite, speed and a piercing kick to a hard running backline and join fellow recent Eastern Ranges graduates Cody Anderson and Nick Watson on the Hawks’ list.
• Several sources spoken to by this masthead expect Max Kondogiannis to be a surprise selection early on night two of the AFL National Draft, with many clubs in that range having registered interest in the rebounding interceptor, who has spoken to 16 clubs.

• St Kilda is not expected to match an early bid on Next Generation Academy prospect Kye Fincher. The athletic half-back/midfielder has interest from a slew of clubs with late first or early second round selections, and the Saints are not anticipated to match a bid unless it comes after Pick 37.

• Geelong is widely expected by industry sources to pick up a forward with their first round selection. Key pillar Aidan Schubert has been linked and could be a successor to Jeremy Cameron and partner Shannon Neale, who has developed well in the last two years.
• Melbourne is viewed as the front-runner for Cam Nairn, who received a surprise invite to night one of the AFL Draft. Viewed by most as a later first or second round prospect, Nairn played as an undersized forward at the U18s National Championships but is viewed as capable of playing on the wing.

Oskar Taylor of the Eastern Ranges in the Coates Talent League 2025 season (Image: Jaguarr Media)

• GWS has been heavily linked to mature-aged Glenelg forward Latrelle Pickett in recent days with its first selection. There was an expectation the Giants would look to Oskar Taylor, but there is now a belief that Pickett has surpassed Taylor in their reckoning. Sam Grlj has also been linked to the Giants, should Richmond overlook him, with the Vic Metro co-captain likely available at their selection if he gets passed the Tigers.
• Little-known South Australian Noah Roberts-Thompson is a reasonable chance of finding a home late in the AFL Draft, with the midfielder having been interviewed by more than half the AFL clubs. Brisbane and West Coast are understood to be leading the interest for him.
• As first reported by AFL Media’s Callum Twomey on Saturday, Carlton is set to trade Picks 9 and 11 to Essendon and North Melbourne respectively for several picks late in the first and early in the second round. It will give the Blues more points as they brace for Richmond – or even West Coast – to place a bid on Harry Dean, with the knowledge that Jack Ison is also in the mix to attract a top 30 bid. North Melbourne has been heavily linked to defender Blake Thredgold, having invested significant effort into the South Australian, but he would likely have been off the board by the time the Kangaroos’ first pick came had they not traded into the first round – he may now be a player they target.
• Despite minimal attention, Eastern Ranges tall Marcus Krasnadamskis is set to find an AFL home on the second night of the National Draft, with Western Bulldogs and West Coast understood to be the clubs at the front of the queue for his services. Not Coates Talent League listed at the start of 2025, his blend of athleticism and aggression has many clubs viewing him as the second-best ruck in the class, behind only Cooper Duff-Tytler.

• Avery Thomas is likely to be the only Tasmanian prospect drafted, with Collingwood among the clubs to show strong interest in the hybrid defender. North Melbourne is another club to have put time into him.
• As of Sunday evening, Zero Hanger believes Richmond’s two most likely selections will be Sullivan Robey and Xavier Taylor, the latter a lifelong Richmond fan who the Tigers will hope can succeed his idol, Nathan Broad. Speedster Sam Grlj remains in the mix, while the club is also understood to have put some late work into Sam Cumming, but Robey and Taylor are viewed as the front runners at this stage.
• Sam Allen missed the last two thirds of 2025 due to an ACL rupture but is a strong chance of finding an AFL home, with his athleticism off the charts and character shining through following the injury. Richmond has been linked and he would suit the Tigers if they overlooked Sam Grlj, as he would complement big-bodied 2024 draft pickups Sam Lalor and Josh Smillie.
• A bid for West Coast Next Generation Academy small forward Tylah Williams is now widely anticipated to come on the first night of the AFL Draft. Williams was consistent in an indifferent campaign for the Black Swans and blitzed the National Combine, and is viewed among the top three small forwards in the crop, alongside Lachy Dovaston and Latrelle Pickett.

• Brisbane is not expected to match a bid for pressure forward Tyan Prindable, who represented the Allies and Brisbane’s VFL side earlier this year, but he is a chance of finding his way onto an AFL list, with two Victorian rivals leading the interest.
• Port Adelaide is now set to use one National Draft pick, having previously forecast it would not be looking to bring anyone new into the club, with Geelong VFL prospect Tobyn Murray linked to the Power.
• Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier has become a favourite of close draft followers in recent times after an impressive season for North Adelaide. Brisbane, Fremantle and Geelong are understood to be the clubs most likely to secure his services.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 01: Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier of South Australia during the Marsh AFL National Championships U18 Boys match between Allies and South Australia at Blacktown International Sportspark on June 01, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

• There is every chance that Harry Kyle will be the first Sydney Academy prospect bid on at the AFL Draft, and it could come as high as the top 20. The rugby union convert is raw, but has been compared to Finn Callaghan, and with so many Swans players for Sydney to juggle, a club could force them to choose early.

• Sandringham key forward Archie Ludowyke has been linked most heavily to GWS and Geelong. The mobile marking target missed the second half of 2025 but is one of the most credentialed players in the draft class. He has spoken of his admiration for Aaron Cadman’s journey so would enjoy learning off the 2022 No.1 pick if he falls to GWS’ second selection, while the Cats might pounce on him with their first round selection.
• Sam Cumming and Dyson Sharp are two players that have been heavily linked to Essendon, but whether those two remain the players in the Bombers’ sights following the anticipated trade remains to be seen. Sharp would add an important contested presence following the delisting of Ben Hobbs, Dylan Shiel and Will Setterfield – who may be reselected in the SSP – while Cumming would add bite to the front half.
• Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves has been most closely linked to Fremantle, Hawthorn, West Coast and Essendon, and could come into consideration for a couple more at the back end of the first round and early in the second round. The Dandenong co-captain never found continuity in 2025 due to a shoulder injury, concussion and illness, but is a genuine match-winner whose best is in the top 10, so a club could use a first-round selection given the significant upside.