As the AFL season edges closer, so too do our drafts — and what better way to prepare for the big day than a good ol’ mock draft!
We rounded up some of the brightest minds in the fantasy community to give you a look at what a draft in mid-February looks like. The Marsh series could change a few picks here and there, but a plenty will also stay the same, allowing you to guage where your favourite players are being drafted.
If you want to practise your draft skills this preseason, head over to The Draft Doctors Mock Draft Simulator!
We discuss the first few rounds of this mock, plus plenty more picks on our podcast:
The Draft Order
1
Zano | @OTLSZano
2
Steve | @StevieFizz
3
Archie | @OTLSArchie
4
The Statesman | @Statesman33
5
Christian | @ExtendedBenchAU
6
Cam | @ThePotatoBake
7
Warnie | @WarnieDT
8
Dos | @HKdos
9
Coxy | @WeGotBigCox
10
Jono | @Davey_C28
The Rules:
- 5-7-1-5 setup
- 10 teams, 22 rounds
- Snake draft (first pick round 1 = last pick round 2)
- Captains = ON
- AFL Fantasy scoring
The Draft
Round 1
1. Brodie Grundy (ZANO)
Zano didn’t mess around, locking away the “Ruck Pig” with his first pick. The favourite choice at pick one in most drafts, the big fella has averaged in excess of 120 AFL Fantasy points the past two seasons.
2. Lachie Whitfield (STEVE)
Position: MID/FWD
2019 Average: 113.8
Mock Simulator ADP: 2
Stevie opted to give Whitfield a crack at two to see how it panned out. Whitfield is our consensus number one forward heading into season 2020, racking up all over the ground despite lining up on a half-forward flank.
3. Jack Macrae (ARCHIE)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 115.6
Mock Simulator ADP: 3
Archie snapped up Macrae without a moment’s hesitation at pick three. The 25-year-old ball-magnet led the league in disposals in 2019 and will be going for a third straight year of averaging 115-plus in 2020.
4. Josh Dunkley (STATESMAN)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 111.1
Mock Simulator ADP: 6
The Statesman backed in Dunkley to replicate his mid-late season form of 2019,. The 23-year-old averaged 124 AFL Fantasy points following a ‘reverse-Bevo’ permanent move into the midfield in round 7.
5. Adam Treloar (CHRISTIAN)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 113.1
Mock Simulator ADP: 4
Christian selected the ever-consistent Treloar with his first pick. A reliable captain option, the gun Pies midfielder exceeded 110 AFL Fantasy points 14 times in 2019, going 120-plus on 10 occasions.
6. Tom Mitchell (CAM)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 0
Mock Simulator ADP: 11
Cam put his balls on the line and picked up the 2018 Brownlow medalist, who returns after a year on the sidelines with a broken leg. Mitchell’s recent intra-club performance suggests the gamble may indeed pay off.
7. Max Gawn (WARNIE)
Position: RUCK
2019 Average: 111.3
Mock Simulator ADP: 5
Warnie selected everyone’s second favourite AFL Fantasy ruckman at pick seven. A pre-season injury has put some slight doubt over Gawn’s early season health, but Warndawg was delighted to lock away a dominant R1.
8. Josh Kelly (DOS)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 115.9
Mock Simulator ADP: 12
All the drafters were jelly when I picked up J-Kelly. The top averaging midfielder from 2019, Kelly is a reliable scorer who just needs to stay healthy. A full pre-season has me excited to see what he can produce.
9. Jake Lloyd (COX)
Position: DEF
2019 Average: 107.1
Mock Simulator ADP: 7
Coxy picked up the top defender of 2019 just before the turn. The 26-year-old enjoyed a second-straight year of averaging 100-plus, racking up huge scores sprinting around the Swans defensive lines for plus-sixes.
10. Patrick Dangerfield (JONO)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 107.5
Mock Simulator ADP: 8
Yonothan plucked up Dangerfield before Cam had the chance to load his team with Cats. Danger has averaged 106-plus in each of the past five seasons and with Tim Kelly gone, could he go bigger in 2020?
Round 2
11. Zach Merrett (JONO)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 108.2
Mock Simulator ADP: 10
Jono opted for a double midfield one-two punch on the pick 10-11 turn, pairing Dangerfield with fantasy-stud, Zach Merrett. Dumped from the leadership group this off-season, does he have a point to prove in 2020?
12. Stephen Coniglio (COX)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 103.7
Mock Simulator ADP: 15
After locking away his D1, Coxy got a second captain option in the freshly annointed GWS skipper. Coniglio’s injury-affected donut makes his seasonal average deceptive compared with his potential value.
13. Tim Taranto (DOS)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 112.5
Mock Simulator ADP: 9
I doubled up my G-Dubs with my second pick in the draft, using the unlucky 13th pick on the reigning Kevin Sheedy Medalist. While some think Timmy T’s role will be affected by a healthy list, I see his output remaining elite.
14. Andrew Gaff (WARNIE)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 111
Mock Simulator ADP: 19
With his ruckman firmly locked away, Warnie picked up West Coast running-machine, Andrew Gaff for his M1 slot. The 27-year-old enjoyed his second 110-plus season in 2019, averaging a tick under 32 disposals.
15. Clayton Oliver (CAM)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 105.9
Mock Simulator ADP: 17
Cam grabbed a second inside bull here, pairing Titch with Oliver. The 22-year-old has had a ludicrous start to his young career, playing all 22 games and averaging 100-plus in each of his three seasons since his rookie year.
16. Dustin Martin (CHRISTIAN)
Position: MID/FWD
2019 Average: 97.1
Mock Simulator ADP: 11
The second forward went off the board midway through the second round when Christian secured Dusty. Going earlier in most mocks, our draft crop preferred hammering midfielders, allowing Christian to swoop at 16.
17. Rory Laird (STATESMAN)
Position: DEF
2019 Average: 96.9
Mock Simulator ADP: 16
The sixth non-midfielder to fall, Statesman coupled his high-ceiling captainable midfielder Dunkley, with a reliable defender in Laird. An ultra-safe selection late in the second round, it’s hard to fault Laird as your D1.
18. Lachie Neale (ARCHIE)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 104.7
Mock Simulator ADP: 18
Another to rock the double mid setup across the first two selections, Archie picked up another ball-magnet in Lachie Neale. After a huge first year at the Lions, Neale remains one of the most prolific ball-winners in the AFL.
19. Matt Crouch (STEVE)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 106.2
Mock Simulator ADP: 14
After picking up Whitfield with the second pick, Stevie bided his time and managed to secure a solid M1 in Matt Crouch. The 24-year-old was dubbed “Tom Mitchell Light” by yours truly in the 2020 Draft Doctors Draft Kit.
20. Brad Crouch (ZANO)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 107.9
Mock Simulator ADP: 20
The “Inferior Crouch” according to this draft, yet not according to his 2019 average. Zano managed to get a second potential captian option in the second round, with Brad’s added insentive to go big — contract-year Crouch!
Round 3
21. Isaac Heeney (ZANO)
Position: MID/FWD
2019 Average: 89.8
Mock Simulator ADP: 28
Zano squared away a ruck, mid, then a forward in the third round in nabbing the Blonde Bombshell. Perhaps mitigating some of the injury-history risk of his second round selection, Heeney is a low-risk FWD option.
22. Marcus Bontempelli (STEVE)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 104.7
Mock Simulator ADP: 21
With Josh Bruce’s arrival, Bont should play pure guts and could improve on what was an already impressive 2019 campaign. Steve may have a bargain in the third, and now two reliable mids to pair with his early forward pick.
23. Toby Greene (ARCHIE)
Position: MID/FWD
2019 Average: 98.4
Mock Simulator ADP: 27
Archie wanted a forward to go with his dual midfielder opening two rounds, and got his man in Toby “IS A GUN” Greene. Less mid time may hurt Greene in 2020, but he should still be a fantastic F1 option.
24. Patrick Cripps (STATESMAN)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 101.5
Mock Simulator ADP: 22
The Statesman rounded out a classic MID-DEF-MID three round mix by drafting the Blues co-skipper. Dunkley, Laird and Cripps provide a nice early combo for Stato — Cripps upside too tempting to pass up at this pick.
25. Jack Crisp (CHRISTIAN)
Position: DEF
2019 Average: 97.7
Mock Simulator ADP: 23
Christian took the third defender in the draft smack bang on Crisp’s guernsey number. The defender selection meant Christian went for the balanced early round approach, drafting a MID, FWD, then DEF.
26. Nat Fyfe (CAM)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 105
Mock Simulator ADP: 26
Cam was banging the mids early, and apparently has a thing for Brownlow medalists. Hammering the mids is a clear strategy Cam has enjoyed this season after trialling different draft tactics on the Mock Simulator.
27. Dayne Zorko (WARNIE)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 104.4
Mock Simulator ADP: 33
Warnie secured another mid early, locking away the 31-year-old Lions skipper late in the third. Zorko eclipsed 130 on five occassions in 2019, and thrived with another tag-target — Lachie Neale — by his side.
28. Michael Walters (DOS)
Position: MID/FWD
2019 Average: 93.5
Mock Simulator ADP: 34
I took Walters, my first forward, with my third overall pick. I was keen to lock away a high tier forward in the early goings to avoid the poo-poo platter of forwards that followed the first handful off the board.
29. Elliot Yeo (COX)
Position: MID
2019 Average: 102.7
Mock Simulator ADP: 30
The former Yeo-Yeo, now consistant inside midfielder, was taken off the board very late in the third round. Coxy picked up his second midfielder in the draft, having already squared away his D1 in the first round.
30. Dan Houston (JONO)
Jono drafted his first defender with his final pick in the opening three rounds, buying into the Dan Houston hype train. All signs point to the 22-year-old playing significant midfield minutes in 2020.
Final Teams
Images from the Official AFL Fantasy Draft 2020 website.
Zano | Bazinga
Steve | Fizzbangers
Archie | Psycho Oracle
Statesman | Statesman
Christian | Whiskified
Cam | FootballClubFC
Warnie | Warne Dawgs
Dos | Soy Boy
Cox | We Got Big Cox
Jono | Have A Bevo On Me
Rounds 4-22
Images from the Official AFL Fantasy Draft 2020 website.
