The completion of the 2025 AFL Draft saw 84 players find homes for next year, but that’s not without some surprising calls.
From the biggest draft sliders, to bids missed and non-selections of talented prospects, we take you through some of the biggest surprises from the 2025 edition…
The surprise Package delivered in the national draft
If you were watching the second night of the national draft, you would’ve noticed that “former” AFL-listed players Jake Stringer and Ryan Byrnes were selected with Picks 58 and 59.
The pair were part of a contingent that was delisted ahead of the draft, with the view of being redrafted as rookies.
However, Stringer and Byrnes found themselves picked up in the national intake.
The premise of their delisting was to open a vacancy on the primary list, with the duo as well as nine other players committing to helping the club free up room in case of a draft prospect.
Fingers crossed he’s a good player 🧡 pic.twitter.com/cxIsr43Q2Q
— GWS GIANTS (@GWSGIANTS) November 20, 2025
The group of nine were selected in the rookie draft, while Stringer and Byrnes will occupy primary list spots in 2026 following their selection.
Pickett peaks as draft’s biggest bolter
Every year, there is always a name that finds itself much higher up on the board than anticipated.
In 2025, Latrelle Pickett was that name.
The cousin of Melbourne superstar Kysaiah Pickett stormed into draft calculations despite being overlooked last year.
His year in the SANFL saw major improvement, with clubs taking notice, especially the Demons.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 19: Latrelle Pickett (Glenelg) poses with Kysaiah Pickett of the Demons after being drafted with pick 12 by the Melbourne Demons during the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft at Marvel Stadium on November 19th, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by James Wiltshire/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Pickett was hurried back to Melbourne ahead of Wednesday night’s unveiling of top-end selections, and was “snuck” into Marvel Stadium.
“I was here on Friday, and I flew out Monday, and then had to come back. So I got told, I think yesterday, so pretty late, and, yeah, to fly over this morning.”
He was taken with Pick 12 by Melbourne, and greeted by his cousin on stage.
Greeves gone? Almost
Eastern Ranges prospect Ollie Greeves was tipped to be selected in the first round of the 2025 draft, but slipped all the way to the rookie selections in one of the surprise slides.
Greeves was pushing for a Hawthorn NGA spot throughout the year, but was denied due to the application being submitted late.
“Ollie’s had a fantastic year, and you definitely feel for a lot of the boys with expectations going into this year,” Hawks recruiter Mark McKenzie said on Thursday night.
“What this period does provide, though, is that there is the Rookie Draft, so he’s put himself in there. He’s done a lot this year to put his name up and see what happens tomorrow, but he’s a great kid and hopefully he gets his chance.”
Greeves (rank 23rd) was among the top 50 players in Zero Hanger’s prospect power rankings.
And although the Hawks eventually picked him up with Pick 12, it was a shock for most that he remained as one of the last selections in 2025.
The same can be said for Riley Onley (Melbourne – Rookie Pick 3) and Fred Rodriguez (West Coast – Rookie Pick 1).
Bids missed
Sydney, Brisbane, Essendon and West Coast were all victims of academy and father-son prospects joining rival clubs.
The Swans failed to match a bid on Lachlan Carmichael, who joined the Western Bulldogs with Pick 21. Carmichael was part of the club’s academy, but the running defender wasn’t seen as a high draft priority, with the Bulldogs benefiting from the strategy.
Next cab off the rank was the Bombers’ excitement machine, Adam Sweid, who Fremantle snapped up.
A long-time Essendon-linked prospect, Swied’s bid at Pick 25 was too much for the Tullamarine club, who’d gone heavy on securing three top-10 selections in the name of Sullivan Robey, Jacob Farrow and Dyson Sharp.
The reigning premiers were also unable to hold onto Tyan Prindable, with Collingwood identifying the on-baller as a required talent at their club.
The Lions had all their eggs in the Daniel Annable basket, who was bid on at Pick 6 by Richmond, which consumed a lot of the club’s later picks.
The Pies asked Brisbane and Prindable the question at 32, which was allowed.
And the Eagles, who were one of the busiest teams in the 2025 draft, headed by the first two selections, netted Willem Duursma and Cooper Duff-Tytler.
West Coast secured five players on the night, including academy prospect Tylah Williams, but unfortunately missed out on father-son gun Charlie Banfield and fellow academy player Koby Evans.
The pair will head to St Kilda and Brisbane.
Club-tied boys overlooked
The unfortunate reality of the AFL draft is that some highly talented footballers are overlooked, even if they are linked to clubs.
That scenario is currently being lived by Tom McGuane (Collingwood), Louis Kellaway (Richmond) and Wes Walley (West Coast).
All three have been amongst their respective clubs’ programs throughout their junior careers, but were informed that there was no guarantee come draft night.
With the national draft unlikely for the trifecta, the hope was that the rookie draft would yield them their childhood dreams.
However, the Tigers passed on their selections following a busy national intake, while the Pies opted to draft NGA forward Jai Saxena instead of McGuane.
As for Walley, he was just unlucky.
Missed opportunity
Sticking with the ‘unlucky’ theme, there are always players who miss out on their AFL chance.
From 985 players who were nominated for the draft, only 84 were taken, leaving a large contingent of devastated prospects.
However, among that list, some were more realistic to make the top-flight than others, including Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves and Marcus Krasnadamskis.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 03: Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves of the Stingrays in action during the Coates Talent League Boys Wildcard Round match between Gippsland Power and Dandenong Stingrays at La Trobe University Sports Fields on September 03, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Hibbins-Hargreaves had been discussed throughout 2025 as being a top 10 talent at his best, but was expected to drift a little due to injury robbing the Mornington Peninsula local of continuity in 2025.
The fact that he was unselected at the National Draft, though, was unforeseeable.
Krasnadamskis didn’t have the exposed form but was widely expected to be picked up, with many viewing him as the second-best ruck in the draft class behind Cooper Duff-Tytler.
Duff-Tytler and Bulldogs draftee Louis Emmett were selected ahead of him.