The AFL draft race is heating up, with top prospects making statements at state league level, mature-age bolters emerging and a Swans star facing a huge cross-code call. Foxfooty.com.au assesses the talent landscape in AFL Draft Watch ahead of the 2026 AFL national draft – with the first round to be held on Thursday November 19, followed by the remaining rounds on Friday November 20. Dougie Cochrane and Cody Walker are rated as the top two prospects in this year’s draft class. Cochrane, a Port Adelaide star, played well in just his second game of the year after being sidelined due to a knee issue. He stuffed the stat sheet in a losing cause against West Adelaide, finishing with a team-high 30 disposals, 10 contested possessions, 10 intercepts, 10 rebound 50s, six marks and six tackles. Walker, a Carlton father-son gun, also caught the eye at state league level. He racked up an equal team-high 29 disposals, eight marks, seven contested possessions, five inside 50s and five tackles in his side’s close loss to St Kilda. The highlight of his performance was his goal in the second quarter. Khaled El Souki, a Western Bulldogs NGA forward, turned heads on his VFL debut. The Bulldogs will have the right to match a bid on El Souki come November’s draft, but whether they’ll have the capital to ultimately match under the new bidding rules remains a talking point among clubs. Another Vic Metro forward with recent VFL experience is Blake Justice, who lined up for Essendon against Coburg. Justice is a 190cm forward out of the Calder Cannons who could attract a draft night bid. Top Lions academy prospect Caylen Murray had his most prolific VFL game yet for Brisbane, collecting 17 disposals, seven marks and five intercepts against Southport. The Lions will almost certainly have to match a first-round bid on a tied player for the sixth time this decade, with Murray highly regarded by rival clubs. Adelaide has also had a first-hand look at top NGA talent Anthony Long at SANFL league level in the past two weeks. Long, a strongly-built 185cm forward who was named an Under 18 All-Australian after booting eight goals for SA, kicked a goal against Woodville West-Torrens. The Eagles, in the same game, had 19-year-old draft bolter Jack Slattery making his SANFL debut. Slattery, a 192cm player with Logan Morris-like traits and goalkicking nous, got his league chance after a champs-high 16 goals for SA and seven goals from three SANFL reserves matches. West Coast has also given NGA prospect Garrison Kenh and father-son gun Harper Banfield WAFL league opportunities in recent weeks. Kenh, a 182cm defender renowned for his composure, rebounding ability and lethal left-foot kick, had 15 disposals on WAFL debut against Subiaco last weekend. He got his state league chance after averaging 23.8 disposals from six colts games for Claremont. Banfield – the brother of Saint Charlie Banfield and son of dual premiership Eagle Drew Banfield – played in the previous two WAFL league matches for West Coast, collecting 20 disposals against West Perth on debut then backing it up with one goal from 17 touches against South Fremantle. Known for his competitiveness, workrate and cleanliness in tight, Banfield (181cm midfielder) was a crucial member of WA’s Under 18 national carnival team, averaging 23 disposals, six tackles and five inside 50s across four games. Scouts were also pleased to see several highly-rated open-pool players get a taste of state league action. Woodville-West Torrens’ Mitch Harris, considered by some to be the best key defender in this year’s class, has played the past two SANFL league matches for the Eagles. He had 12 disposals and eight intercepts on debut against Glenelg then another seven disposals and four intercepts against Adelaide last weekend. A tough, courageous and close-checking 196cm defender, Harris was named at full-back in the Under 18 All-Australian team. One of footy’s great feel-good streaks seems destined to continue this off-season. For not only is Werribee’s Brady Wright a red-hot favourite to claim the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the most promising VFL player aged 24 or under, he looms as a possible mid-to-early national draft pick. The 22-year-old has booted 45.18 and averaged 10.4 disposals and 6.0 marks from 14 VFL matches this year. He’s kicked three goals or more in 10 of his past 12 matches, including a bag of seven against Footscray a fortnight ago. The big decision between footy and athletics just got a whole lot harder for Mason McGroder, who stunned the world with his recent feats at the Under 20 World Athletics Championships. The 17-year-old has long been viewed as one of Australia’s most intriguing dual-sport athletes. He’s a speedy and physical defender with a high vertical lead who’s developed through the Swans academy, leading to selection in the Allies squad for this year’s national championships. But McGroder’s talents on the football field are matched by his potential on the track. This was on display last week in the US where McGroder claimed a silver medal in the long jump at the World Athletics U20 Championships. He qualified for the final with a personal-best jump of 7.83m — then bettered it in the final with a brilliant 7.96m effort, which was just 1cm short of gold medallist Daniele Inzoli of Italy in one of the tightest finals of the championships.
