# 2020 AFL draft

The 2020 AFL draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) could trade and recruit players following the completion of the 2020 AFL season.
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National, Pre-season and Rookie drafts were held as a "virtual event" on 9 and 10 December.

## Key dates

Table of key dates :
| Event | Date(s) |
| Free agency period | 30 October - 6 November |
| Trade period | 4-12 November |
| National draft | 9 December |
| Pre-season draft | 10 December |
| Rookie draft | 10 December |
| Pre-season supplemental selection period | 6 January - start of 2021 AFL season |

## Previous trades

Since 2015, clubs have been able to trade future picks in the next year's national draft during the trade period. As a result, a total of 40 selections for the 2020 draft were traded during the 2019 trade period. Further trades of future picks can be made before or during the 2019 national draft. The selection order for each of these picks is tied to the original club's finishing position in the 2020 season.
Table of previously traded selections :
| Rd | Orig. Club | New Club | Acquired via | Ref |
| 1 | Greater Western Sydney | Adelaide | Pick swap | |
| 1 | Melbourne | North Melbourne | Pick swap | |
| 1 | Gold Coast (Priority Pick, #11) | Geelong | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 1 | West Coast | Geelong | Tim Kelly trade | |
| 1 | Port Adelaide | Brisbane Lions | Pick swap | |
| 2 | North Melbourne | Hawthorn | Pick swap | |
| 2 | Hawthorn | Melbourne | Sam Frost trade | |
| 2 | Essendon | North Melbourne | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 2 | Fremantle | Port Adelaide | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 2 | Melbourne | Fremantle | Ed Langdon trade | |
| 2 | Collingwood | Port Adelaide | via Brisbane Lions (Pick swap) on-traded to Port Adelaide (pick swap) | [12] [13] |
| 2 | Western Bulldogs | Adelaide | Alex Keath trade | |
| 2 | St Kilda | Richmond | via Fremantle (Bradley Hill and Blake Acres trade) on-traded to Collingwood (James Aish trade) on-traded to Richmond (Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft) | [15] [16] |
| 2 | Richmond | Collingwood | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | Gold Coast | Callum Ah Chee trade | |
| 3 | Adelaide | Western Bulldogs | Alex Keath trade | |
| 3 | North Melbourne | Collingwood | via Greater Western Sydney (Aiden Bonar trade) on-traded to Collingwood (Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft) | [18] [19] |
| 3 | Sydney | Brisbane Lions | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 3 | Brisbane Lions | Sydney | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 3 | Gold Coast | Essendon | via Adelaide (Hugh Greenwood trade) on-traded to Geelong (Josh Jenkins trade) on-traded to Essendon (Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft) | [20] [21] [22] |
| 3 | Essendon | Hawthorn | via Brisbane Lions (Tom Cutler trade) on-traded to Collingwood (pick swap) on-traded to Hawthorn (Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft) | [23] [12] [24] |
| 3 | Fremantle | Adelaide | via St Kilda (Bradley Hill and Blake Acres trade) on-traded to Sydney (Zak Jones trade) on-traded to Adelaide (Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft) | [15] [25] [26] |
| 3 | Collingwood | Adelaide | via Fremantle (James Aish trade) On-traded to Adelaide (pick swap) | [16] [27] |
| 3 | St Kilda | Port Adelaide | Paddy Ryder and Dougal Howard trade | |
| 3 | Geelong | West Coast | Tim Kelly trade | |
| 4 | Adelaide | Sydney | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 4 | Sydney | St Kilda | Zak Jones trade | |
| 4 | Gold Coast | Adelaide | Hugh Greenwood trade | |
| 4 | Fremantle | Melbourne | Ed Langdon trade | |
| 4 | Carlton | Melbourne | via Adelaide (Eddie Betts trade) On-traded to Fremantle (pick swap) On-traded to Melbourne (pick swap) | [29] [27] |
| 4 | Greater Western Sydney | Brisbane Lions | via Adelaide (Sam Jacobs trade) on-traded to Port Adelaide (Billy Frampton trade) on-traded to Brisbane Lions (pick swap) | [30] [31] [13] |
| 4 | Melbourne | North Melbourne | via Hawthorn (Sam Frost trade) on-traded to Greater Western Sydney (Jonathon Patton trade) on-traded to North Melbourne (Aiden Bonar trade) | [8] [32] [18] |
| 4 | Collingwood | Greater Western Sydney | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 4 | Western Bulldogs | Hawthorn | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 4 | St Kilda | Collingwood | via Fremantle (Bradley Hill and Blake Acres trade) on-traded to Collingwood (James Aish trade) | [15] [16] |
| 4 | West Coast | Essendon | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 4 | Geelong | Essendon | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |
| 4 | Brisbane Lions | Gold Coast | Callum Ah Chee trade | |
| 4 | Port Adelaide | St Kilda | Paddy Ryder and Dougal Howard trade | |
| 5 | Fremantle | Brisbane Lions | Pick swap at the 2019 National Draft | |

## Free agency

2020 AFL free agency period signings :
| Player | Date | Free agent type | Former club | New club | Compensation |
| Rory Atkins | 30 October | Unrestricted | Adelaide | Gold Coast | End of 2nd round (Pick 40) |
| Isaac Smith | 30 October | Unrestricted | Hawthorn | Geelong | 3rd round (Pick 46) |
| Joe Daniher | 30 October | Restricted | Essendon | Brisbane Lions | 1st round (Pick 7) |
| Aidan Corr | 30 October | Restricted | Greater Western Sydney | North Melbourne | 2nd round (Pick 31) |
| Zac Williams | 30 October | Restricted | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | 1st round (Pick 10) |
| Brad Crouch | 4 November | Restricted | Adelaide | St Kilda | 2nd round (Pick 23) |
| Shaun McKernan | 6 November | Unrestricted | Essendon | St Kilda | None |
| James Frawley | 26 November | Delisted | Hawthorn | St Kilda | None |
| Mitch Hinge | 26 November | Delisted | Brisbane Lions | Adelaide | None |

## Trades

2020 AFL trade period :
| Date | No. | Player(s) | Traded from | Traded to | Traded for |
| 4 November | 1 | Zac Langdon | Greater Western Sydney | West Coast | Pick 54 |
| 4 November | 2 | Oleg Markov | Richmond | Gold Coast | 2021 third round pick (Gold Coast) |
| 4 November | 3 | Jesse Hogan | Fremantle | Greater Western Sydney | Pick 54 |
| 5 November | 4 | Kyle Hartigan | Adelaide | Hawthorn | 2021 fourth round pick (Hawthorn) |
| 6 November | 5 | Pick 43 | Brisbane Lions | Melbourne | Pick 53 |
| 6 November | 5 | 2021 fourth round pick (Brisbane Lions) | Brisbane Lions | Melbourne | 2021 third round pick (Melbourne) |
| 10 November | 6 | Peter Wright | Gold Coast | Essendon | 2021 fourth round pick (Essendon) |
| 10 November | 7 | Pick 33 | Adelaide | Melbourne | 2021 second round pick (Melbourne) |
| 10 November | 7 | Pick 50 | Adelaide | Melbourne | 2021 fourth round pick (Melbourne) |
| 10 November | 8 | Mitch Hannan | Melbourne | Western Bulldogs | 2021 third round pick (Western Bulldogs) |
| 10 November | 9 | Braydon Preuss | Melbourne | Greater Western Sydney | Pick 31 |
| 10 November | 10 | Stefan Martin | Brisbane Lions | Western Bulldogs | N/A |
| 10 November | 10 | Pick 70 | Brisbane Lions | North Melbourne | Pick 63 |
| 10 November | 10 | Lachie Young | Western Bulldogs | North Melbourne | N/A |
| 11 November | 11 | Lachie Fogarty | Geelong | Carlton | Pick 30 |
| 11 November | 11 | Pick 38 | Geelong | Carlton | Pick 51 |
| 11 November | 12 | Nakia Cockatoo | Geelong | Brisbane Lions | 2021 third round pick (Melbourne) |
| 11 November | 13 | Adam Saad | Essendon | Carlton | Pick 8 |
| 11 November | 13 | Pick 48 | Essendon | Carlton | Pick 8 |
| 11 November | 13 | Pick 78 | Essendon | Carlton | Pick 87 |
| 11 November | 14 | Aliir Aliir | Sydney | Port Adelaide | 2021 second round pick (Port Adelaide) |
| 11 November | 15 | Shaun Higgins | North Melbourne | Geelong | Pick 30 |
| 11 November | 16 | Tom Hickey | West Coast | Sydney | Pick 58 |
| 11 November | 16 | Tom Hickey | West Coast | Sydney | Pick 62 |
| 11 November | 16 | Pick 34 | West Coast | Sydney | 2021 second round pick (Port Adelaide) |
| 11 November | 16 | Pick 60 | West Coast | Sydney | 2021 third round pick (Sydney) |
| 12 November | 17 | Pick 25 | Sydney | Melbourne | Pick 31 |
| 12 November | 17 | Pick 25 | Sydney | Melbourne | Pick 43 |
| 12 November | 18 | Ben Brown | North Melbourne | Melbourne | Pick 26 |
| 12 November | 18 | Pick 28 | North Melbourne | Melbourne | Pick 33 |
| 12 November | 18 | 2021 fourth round pick (North Melbourne) | North Melbourne | Melbourne | 2021 fourth round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| 12 November | 19 | Jack Higgins | Richmond | St Kilda | Pick 17 |
| 12 November | 19 | Pick 21 | Richmond | St Kilda | Pick 17 |
| 12 November | 19 | 2021 fourth round pick (Richmond) | Richmond | St Kilda | 2021 second round pick (St Kilda) |
| 12 November | 20 | Alex Witherden | Brisbane Lions | West Coast | Pick 58 |
| 12 November | 20 | Pick 86 | Brisbane Lions | West Coast | 2021 third round pick (West Coast) |
| 12 November | 21 | Jaidyn Stephenson | Collingwood | North Melbourne | Pick 26 |
| 12 November | 21 | Atu Bosenavulagi | Collingwood | North Melbourne | Pick 33 |
| 12 November | 21 | Pick 39 | Collingwood | North Melbourne | Pick 70 |
| 12 November | 22 | Pick 18 | Brisbane Lions | Melbourne | Pick 25 |
| 12 November | 22 | Pick 18 | Brisbane Lions | Melbourne | Pick 68 |
| 12 November | 22 | Pick 19 | Brisbane Lions | Melbourne | Pick 69 |
| 12 November | 22 | 2021 second round pick (Brisbane Lions) | Brisbane Lions | Melbourne | 2021 first round pick (Melbourne) |
| 12 November | 23 | Orazio Fantasia | Essendon | Port Adelaide | Pick 29 |
| 12 November | 23 | Pick 73 | Essendon | Port Adelaide | 2021 third round pick (Port Adelaide) |
| 12 November | 24 | Tom Phillips | Collingwood | Hawthorn | Pick 65 |
| 12 November | 25 | Adam Treloar | Collingwood | Western Bulldogs | Pick 14 |
| 12 November | 25 | Pick 26 | Collingwood | Western Bulldogs | Pick 14 |
| 12 November | 25 | Pick 33 | Collingwood | Western Bulldogs | 2021 second round pick (Western Bulldogs) |
| 12 November | 25 | Pick 42 | Collingwood | Western Bulldogs | 2021 second round pick (Western Bulldogs) |
| 12 November | 26 | Jye Caldwell | Greater Western Sydney | Essendon | Pick 29 |
| 12 November | 26 | Pick 44 | Greater Western Sydney | Essendon | Pick 29 |
| 12 November | 26 | Pick 74 | Greater Western Sydney | Essendon | 2021 second round pick (Essendon) |
| 12 November | 27 | Jeremy Cameron | Greater Western Sydney | Geelong | Pick 13 |
| 12 November | 27 | Jeremy Cameron | Greater Western Sydney | Geelong | Pick 15 |
| 12 November | 27 | 2021 second round pick GWS) | Greater Western Sydney | Geelong | Pick 20 |
| 12 November | 27 | 2021 second round pick (Essendon) | Greater Western Sydney | Geelong | 2021 fourth round pick (Geelong) |
| 12 November | 28 | Nick Hind | St Kilda | Essendon | Pick 67 |
| 12 November | 28 | Pick 77 | St Kilda | Essendon | Pick 74 |
| 24 November | 29 | Pick 31 | Sydney | Carlton | Pick 48 |
| 24 November | 29 | Pick 31 | Sydney | Carlton | 2021 third round pick (Carlton) |
| 24 November | 30 | Pick 37 | Gold Coast | Sydney | 2021 third round pick (Carlton) |
| 25 November | 31 | Pick 63 | Brisbane Lions | Adelaide | Pick 66 |
| 25 November | 31 | Pick 63 | Brisbane Lions | Adelaide | 2021 fourth round pick (Melbourne) |
| 26 November | 32 | Pick 56 | Adelaide | Fremantle | 2021 fourth round pick (Fremantle) |
| 26 November | 32 | Pick 63 | Adelaide | Fremantle | 2021 fourth round pick (Fremantle) |
| 1 December | 33 | Pick 29 | Greater Western Sydney | Western Bulldogs | Pick 26 |
| 1 December | 33 | Pick 52 | Greater Western Sydney | Western Bulldogs | Pick 26 |
| 2 December | 34 | Pick 27 | Gold Coast | Geelong | 2021 third round pick (Melbourne) |
| 2 December | 35 | Pick 66 | Brisbane Lions | Collingwood | Pick 70 |
| 2 December | 35 | Pick 68 | Brisbane Lions | Collingwood | 2021 fourth round pick (Collingwood) |
| 9 December | 36 | Pick 62 | Collingwood | Hawthorn | Pick 41 |
| 9 December | 36 | Pick 69 | Collingwood | Hawthorn | Pick 41 |
| 9 December | 36 | 2021 second round pick (Collingwood) | Collingwood | Hawthorn | Pick 42 |
| 9 December | 37 | Pick 38 | Adelaide | Port Adelaide | Pick 34 |
| 9 December | 37 | 2021 fourth round pick (Hawthorn) | Adelaide | Port Adelaide | Pick 34 |
| 9 December | 38 | Pick 20 | Richmond | Geelong | 2021 first round pick (Geelong) |
| 9 December | 39 | Pick 24 | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | 2021 first round pick (Collingwood) |
| 9 December | 39 | Pick 30 | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | 2021 first round pick (Collingwood) |
| 9 December | 39 | 2021 fourth round pick (Geelong) | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | 2021 first round pick (Collingwood) |
| 9 December | 40 | Pick 35 | Fremantle | Brisbane Lions | Pick 29 |
| 9 December | 40 | Pick 46 | Fremantle | Brisbane Lions | Pick 29 |
| 9 December | 41 | Pick 27 | Adelaide | Collingwood | Pick 25 |
| 9 December | 41 | 2021 third round pick (Adelaide) | Adelaide | Collingwood | Pick 25 |
| 9 December | 42 | Pick 27 | Collingwood | Fremantle | Pick 30 |
| 9 December | 42 | Pick 59 | Collingwood | Fremantle | 2021 third round pick (Fremantle) |
| 9 December | 43 | Pick 53 | Collingwood | Fremantle | Pick 46 |
| 9 December | 43 | Pick 57 | Collingwood | Fremantle | Pick 46 |
| 9 December | 44 | Pick 54 | St Kilda | Hawthorn | Pick 43 |
| 9 December | 44 | 2021 fourth round pick (Richmond) | St Kilda | Hawthorn | Pick 43 |
| 9 December | 45 | Pick 49 | Brisbane Lions | Essendon | Pick 42 |
| 9 December | 45 | Pick 50 | Brisbane Lions | Essendon | Pick 42 |
| 9 December | 46 | Pick 49 | Collingwood | Port Adelaide | Pick 44 |
| 9 December | 46 | 2021 fourth round pick (Geelong) | Collingwood | Port Adelaide | Pick 44 |
| 9 December | 47 | Pick 46 | Melbourne | Hawthorn | 2021 third round pick (Hawthorn) |
| 9 December | 47 | 2021 fourth round pick (North Melbourne) | Melbourne | Hawthorn | 2021 third round pick (Hawthorn) |

## List changes
### Retirements

Table key :
| R | Rookie listed player |
| B | Category B Rookie listed player |
Table of player retirements :
| Date | Name | Club |
| 19 December | Alex Rance | Richmond |
| 29 July | Nathan Brown | St Kilda |
| 2 September | Pearce Hanley | Gold Coast |
| 8 September | Conor McKenna | Essendon |
| 10 September | Bryce Gibbs | Adelaide |
| 10 September | Matthew Kreuzer | Carlton |
| 14 September | Ben Stratton | Hawthorn |
| 14 September | Paul Puopolo | Hawthorn |
| 15 September | Kade Simpson | Carlton |
| 15 September | Tom Bellchambers | Essendon |
| 17 September | Justin Westhoff | Port Adelaide |
| 17 September | Tom Sheridan (R) | Greater Western Sydney |
| 19 September | Sam Jacobs | Greater Western Sydney |
| 23 September | Conor Glass | Hawthorn |
| 23 September | Ricky Henderson | Hawthorn |
| 24 September | Anthony Miles | Gold Coast |
| 24 September | George Horlin-Smith | Gold Coast |
| 24 September | Jack Watts | Port Adelaide |
| 25 September | Will Schofield | West Coast |
| 25 September | Ben Reid | Collingwood |
| 27 September | Tory Dickson | Western Bulldogs |
| 28 September | Harley Bennell | Melbourne |
| 11 October | Travis Varcoe | Collingwood |
| 13 October | Lynden Dunn (R) | Collingwood |
| 17 October | Brad Ebert | Port Adelaide |
| 21 October | Allen Christensen | Brisbane Lions |
| 21 October | Dayne Beams | Collingwood |
| 24 October | Gary Ablett Jr. | Geelong |
| 31 October | Harry Taylor | Geelong |
| 19 November | Jack Steven | Geelong |
| 25 November | Kade Kolodjashnij | Melbourne |
| 30 November | Tom Langdon | Collingwood |

### Delistings

Table key :
| R | Rookie listed player |
| B | Category B Rookie listed player |
Table of player delistings :
| Date | Name | Club |
| 20 August | Cam McCarthy | Fremantle |
| 21 August | Jason Carter (B) | Fremantle |
| 30 August | Dillon O'Reilly (R) | Fremantle |
| 30 August | Isaiah Butters (B) | Fremantle |
| 17 September | Joe Atley | Port Adelaide |
| 17 September | Wylie Buzza | Port Adelaide |
| 17 September | Tobin Cox (R) | Port Adelaide |
| 17 September | Riley Grundy (R) | Port Adelaide |
| 18 September | Paul Ahern | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Joel Crocker | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Majak Daw | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Sam Durdin | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Lachlan Hosie (R) | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Ben Jacobs | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Jamie Macmillan | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Tom Murphy (R) | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Jasper Pittard | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Marley Williams | North Melbourne |
| 18 September | Mason Wood | North Melbourne |
| 20 September | Shaun McKernan | Essendon |
| 20 September | Mitchell Hibberd (R) | Essendon |
| 20 September | Kobe Mutch | Essendon |
| 20 September | Josh Begley | Essendon |
| 20 September | Noah Gown | Essendon |
| 21 September | Darcy Lang | Carlton |
| 21 September | Hugh Goddard (R) | Carlton |
| 21 September | Ben Silvagni | Carlton |
| 21 September | Finbar O'Dwyer | Carlton |
| 23 September | Kyle Dunkley (R) | Melbourne |
| 23 September | Corey Wagner (R) | Melbourne |
| 23 September | Josh Wagner | Melbourne |
| 23 September | Riley Knight | Adelaide |
| 23 September | Ayce Taylor (R) | Adelaide |
| 23 September | Patrick Wilson (R) | Adelaide |
| 24 September | Corey Ellis | Gold Coast |
| 24 September | Josh Schoenfeld (R) | Gold Coast |
| 24 September | Mitch Riordan (R) | Gold Coast |
| 24 September | Sam Fletcher (R) | Gold Coast |
| 24 September | Jesse Joyce | Gold Coast |
| 24 September | Jacob Dawson(B) | Gold Coast |
| 24 September | Jacob Heron (B) | Gold Coast |
| 25 September | Brandon Matera | Fremantle |
| 25 September | Hugh Dixon (R) | Fremantle |
| 25 September | Tom North (R) | Fremantle |
| 25 September | Jarvis Pina (R) | Fremantle |
| 29 September | Heath Shaw | Greater Western Sydney |
| 7 October | Darren Minchington (R) | Hawthorn |
| 7 October | Will Golds (R) | Hawthorn |
| 7 October | Jackson Ross | Hawthorn |
| 7 October | James Frawley | Hawthorn |
| 11 October | Logan Austin | St Kilda |
| 11 October | Doulton Langlands (R) | St Kilda |
| 11 October | Ryan Abbott | St Kilda |
| 11 October | Jack Mayo (R) | St Kilda |
| 11 October | Jack Bell (R) | St Kilda |
| 14 October | Tim Broomhead (R) | Collingwood |
| 14 October | Matthew Scharenberg | Collingwood |
| 16 October | Ryley Stoddart | Sydney |
| 16 October | Michael Knoll (R) | Sydney |
| 16 October | Jack Maibaum (R) | Sydney |
| 16 October | Harry Reynolds (R) | Sydney |
| 16 October | Brady Rowles (R) | Sydney |
| 20 October | Cam Sutcliffe (R) | Port Adelaide |
| 21 October | Hamish Brayshaw (R) | West Coast |
| 21 October | Francis Watson | West Coast |
| 21 October | Nic Reid (R) | West Coast |
| 21 October | Anthony Treacy (R) | West Coast |
| 21 October | Mitch O'Neill (R) | West Coast |
| 23 October | Matt Eagles (B) | Brisbane Lions |
| 23 October | Corey Lyons (R) | Brisbane Lions |
| 23 October | Sam Skinner (R) | Brisbane Lions |
| 23 October | Jacob Allison (R) | Brisbane Lions |
| 23 October | Toby Wooller | Brisbane Lions |
| 26 October | James Parsons | Geelong |
| 26 October | Jacob Kennerley | Geelong |
| 26 October | Blake Schlensog (B) | Geelong |
| 28 October | Fraser Turner | Richmond |
| 28 October | Luke English | Richmond |
| 6 November | Billy Gowers | Western Bulldogs |
| 6 November | Fergus Greene | Western Bulldogs |
| 6 November | Brad Lynch | Western Bulldogs |
| 7 November | Matthew Parker | St Kilda |
| 13 November | Jordan Gallucci | Adelaide |
| 13 November | Myles Poholke | Adelaide |
| 13 November | Ben Crocker (R) | Adelaide |
| 14 November | Jake Patmore | Port Adelaide |
| 17 November | Ed Phillips | St Kilda |
| 17 November | Matt Suckling | Western Bulldogs |
| 17 November | Jackson Trengove | Western Bulldogs |
| 17 November | Callum Porter | Western Bulldogs |
| 17 November | Oscar McDonald | Melbourne |
| 17 November | Aaron Nietschke | Melbourne |
| 18 November | Harrison Macreadie | Carlton |
| 18 November | Callum Moore (R) | Carlton |
| 18 November | Fraser Phillips (R) | Carlton |
| 18 November | Cameron Polson | Carlton |
| 19 November | Jacob Townsend (R) | Essendon |
| 19 November | Henry Crauford (R) | Essendon |
| 19 November | Lewis Jetta | West Coast |
| 21 November | Jonathon Marsh (R) | St Kilda |
| 22 November | Shane Savage | St Kilda |
| 24 November | Zac Foot | Sydney |
| 24 November | Jackson Thurlow | Sydney |
| 24 November | Jake Tarca | Geelong |
| 25 November | Ed Vickers-Willis | North Melbourne |
| 25 November | Harry Jones (R) | Hawthorn |
| 25 November | Mathew Walker | Hawthorn |
| 25 November | Rupert Wills | Collingwood |
| 25 November | Flynn Appleby (R) | Collingwood |
| 25 November | Mitch Hinge | Brisbane Lions |
| 25 November | Cedric Cox | Brisbane Lions |
| 25 November | Grant Birchall | Brisbane Lions |
| 25 November | Jackson Hately | Greater Western Sydney |
| 25 November | Sam Reid (R) | Greater Western Sydney |
| 25 November | Zach Sproule (R) | Greater Western Sydney |
| 25 November | Derek Eggmolesse-Smith (B) | Richmond |
| 25 November | Bailey Banfield | Fremantle |
| 25 November | Jack Hombsch | Gold Coast |
| 25 November | Jordan Murdoch | Gold Coast |
| 30 November | Elijah Taylor | Sydney |
| 30 November | Daniel Venables | West Coast |

### Moved to Rookie List

As part of the revised AFL Collective Bargaining agreement, clubs could now move up to two players from their Senior List on to their Rookie List without having to redraft them through the rookie draft.
Table of players moved from the senior list to the rookie list :
| Name | Club |
| David McKay | Adelaide |
| Ben Davis | Adelaide |
| Connor Ballenden | Brisbane Lions |
| Rhys Mathieson | Brisbane Lions |
| Eddie Betts | Carlton |
| Matthew Kennedy | Carlton |
| Brett Bewley | Fremantle |
| Lachie Schultz | Fremantle |
| Jarrod Harbrow | Gold Coast |
| Zac Smith | Gold Coast |
| Daniel Lloyd | Greater Western Sydney |
| Matthew Buntine | Greater Western Sydney |
| Dylan Moore | Hawthorn |
| James Jordon | Melbourne |
| Aaron Nietschke | Melbourne |
| Will Walker | North Melbourne |
| Ben Miller | Richmond |
| Oscar Clavarino | St Kilda |
| Darragh Joyce | St Kilda |
| Sam Gray | Sydney |
| Robbie Fox | Sydney |
| Mark Hutchings | West Coast |
| Ben Cavarra | Western Bulldogs |
| Will Hayes | Western Bulldogs |

## Pre-draft selections

As part of their 2019 draft concessions, Gold Coast were able to prelist players from their Academy zone.
Table of pre-draft selections :
| Player | Club | Recruited from | Recruited from | Notes | Ref. |
| Player | Club | Club | League | Notes | Ref. |
| Alex Davies | Gold Coast | Broadbeach | QAFL | | |
| Joel Jeffrey | Gold Coast | Darwin Buffaloes | NTFL | | |

## 2020 national draft

| ^ | Denotes player who has been inducted to the Australian Football Hall of Fame |
| * | Denotes player who has been a premiership player and been selected for at least one All-Australian team |
| $^+$ | Denotes player who has been a premiership player at least once |
| $^x$ | Denotes player who has been selected for at least one All-Australian team |
| $^#$ | Denotes player who has never played in a VFL/AFL home and away season or finals game |
| $^~$ | Denotes player who has been selected as Rising Star |
Table of national draft selections :
| Round | Pick | Player | Club | Recruited from | Recruited from | Notes |
| Round | Pick | Player | Club | Club | League | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Jamarra Ugle-Hagan | Western Bulldogs | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | Next Generation Academy selection (Indigenous), matched bid by Adelaide |
| 1 | 2 | Riley Thilthorpe | Adelaide | West Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 1 | 3 | Will Phillips | North Melbourne | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | |
| 1 | 4 | Logan McDonald | Sydney | Perth | WAFL | |
| 1 | 5 | Braeden Campbell | Sydney | Pennant Hills | Sydney AFL | Academy selection, matched bid by Hawthorn |
| 1 | 6 | Denver Grainger-Barras | Hawthorn | Swan Districts | WAFL | |
| 1 | 7 | Elijah Hollands | Gold Coast | Murray Bushrangers | NAB League | |
| 1 | 8 | Nik Cox | Essendon | Northern Knights | NAB League | |
| 1 | 9 | Archie Perkins | Essendon | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | Free Agency compensation pick (Daniher) |
| 1 | 10 | Zach Reid | Essendon | Gippsland Power | NAB League | Traded from Carlton |
| 1 | 11 | Luke Pedlar | Adelaide | Glenelg | SANFL | Traded from Greater Western Sydney in 2019 |
| 1 | 12 | Tanner Bruhn | Greater Western Sydney | Geelong Falcons | NAB League | Free Agency compensation pick (Williams) |
| 1 | 13 | Tom Powell | North Melbourne | Sturt | SANFL | Traded from Melbourne in 2019 |
| 1 | 14 | Heath Chapman | Fremantle | West Perth | WAFL | |
| Priority | 15 | Conor Stone | Greater Western Sydney | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | Traded from Geelong; received from Gold Coast at the 2019 National Draft |
| 1 | 16 | Lachie Jones | Port Adelaide | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | Next Generation Academy selection (Indigenous), matched bid by Collingwood |
| 1 | 17 | Oliver Henry | Collingwood | Geelong Falcons | NAB League | Traded from Western Bulldogs |
| 1 | 18 | Ryan Angwin | Greater Western Sydney | Gippsland Power | NAB League | Traded from Geelong; received from West Coast in 2019 |
| 1 | 19 | Finlay Macrae | Collingwood | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | |
| 1 | 20 | Max Holmes | Geelong | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | Traded from Richmond at the draft; received from St Kilda |
| 1 | 21 | Jake Bowey$^+$ | Melbourne | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | Traded from Brisbane Lions |
| 1 | 22 | Bailey Laurie | Melbourne | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | Traded from Brisbane Lions; received from Port Adelaide in 2019 |
| 1 | 23 | Reef McInnes | Collingwood | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | Next Generation Academy selection (Filipino descent), matched bid by Greater Western Sydney |
| 1 | 24 | Blake Coleman | Brisbane Lions | Morningside | QAFL | Academy selection, matched bid by Collingwood |
| 1 | 25 | Brayden Cook | Adelaide | South Adelaide | SANFL | Traded from Collingwood at the draft; received from Greater Western Sydney at the draft; received from Geelong |
| 1 | 26 | Matthew McLeod-Allison | St Kilda | Calder Cannons | NAB League | Traded from Richmond |
| 2 | 27 | Nathan O'Driscoll | Fremantle | Perth | WAFL | Traded from Collingwood at the draft; received from Adelaide at the draft |
| 2 | 28 | Sam Berry | Adelaide | Gippsland Power | NAB League | Free Agency compensation pick (Crouch) |
| 2 | 29 | Seamus Mitchell | Hawthorn | Bendigo Pioneers | NAB League | Traded from North Melbourne in 2019 |
| 2 | 30 | Caleb Poulter | Collingwood | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | Traded from Melbourne; received from Sydney |
| 2 | 31 | Liam McMahon | Collingwood | Northern Knights | NAB League | Traded from Western Bulldogs, received from Collingwood; received from North Melbourne; received from Melbourne; received from Hawthorn in 2019 |
| 2 | 32 | Errol Gulden | Sydney | UNSW-Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs | Sydney AFL | Academy selection, matched bid by Geelong |
| 2 | 33 | Shannon Neale | Geelong | South Fremantle | WAFL | Traded from Gold Coast |
| 2 | 34 | Fraser Rosman | Melbourne | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | Traded from North Melbourne; received from Essendon in 2019 |
| 2 | 35 | Connor Downie | Hawthorn | Eastern Ranges | NAB League | Next Generation Academy selection (Chinese descent), matched bid by North Melbourne |
| 2 | 36 | Charlie Lazzaro | North Melbourne | Geelong Falcons | NAB League | Traded from Geelong; received from Carlton |
| 2 | 37 | Corey Durdin | Carlton | Central District | SANFL | Traded from Sydney; received from Melbourne; received from Greater Western Sydney; Free Agency compensation pick (Corr) |
| 2 | 38 | James Rowe | Adelaide | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | Traded from Fremantle; received from Melbourne in 2019 |
| 2 | 39 | Josh Eyre | Essendon | Calder Cannons | NAB League | Next Generation Academy selection (Indigenous), matched bid by Richmond |
| 2 | 40 | Samson Ryan | Richmond | Western Magpies | QAFL | Traded from St Kilda (via Collingwood and Fremantle) in 2019. Academy eligible for Brisbane, who did not match the bid |
| 2 | 41 | Jack Carroll | Carlton | East Fremantle | WAFL | Traded from Geelong |
| 2 | 42 | Phoenix Spicer | North Melbourne | South Adelaide | SANFL | Traded from Collingwood; received from Richmond in 2019 |
| 3 | 43 | Harry Sharp | Brisbane Lions | GWV Rebels | NAB League | Traded from Adelaide in 2019 |
| 3 | 44 | Beau McCreery | Collingwood | South Adelaide | SANFL | Traded from Port Adelaide at the draft |
| 3 | 45 | Tom Highmore | St Kilda | South Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 3 | 46 | Tyler Brockman | Hawthorn | Subiaco | WAFL | Traded from Essendon (via Collingwood and Brisbane Lions) in 2019 |
| 3 | 47 | Nick Stevens | Geelong | GWV Rebels | NAB League | Traded from Carlton |
| 3 | 48 | Henry Smith | Brisbane Lions | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | Traded from Melbourne |
| 3 | 49 | Ollie Lord | Port Adelaide | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | |
| 3 | 50 | Brandon Walker | Fremantle | East Fremantle | WAFL | Next Generation Academy selection (born in Ghana), matched bid by Essendon |
| 3 | 51 | Maurice Rioli Jr. | Richmond | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | Father–son selection (son of Maurice Rioli), matched bid by Essendon |
| 4 | 52 | Luke Edwards | West Coast | Glenelg | SANFL | Traded from Sydney; received from Adelaide in 2019 |
| 4 | 53 | Cody Brand | Essendon | Calder Cannons | NAB League | Next Generation Academy selection (Indigenous), matched bid by Western Bulldogs |
| 4 | 54 | Joel Western | Fremantle | Claremont | WAFL | Next Generation Academy selection (Singaporean descent), matched bid by Western Bulldogs |
| 4 | 55 | Dominic Bedendo | Western Bulldogs | Murray Bushrangers | NAB League | |
| 4 | 56 | Eddie Ford | North Melbourne | Western Jets | NAB League | |
| 4 | 57 | Isiah Winder | West Coast | Peel Thunder | WAFL | |
| 4 | 58 | Cameron Fleeton | Greater Western Sydney | Geelong Falcons | NAB League | |
| 4 | 59 | Jacob Wehr | Greater Western Sydney | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | |
* $^a$ Fremantle are carrying over a 264.9 point deficit from 2019 (Liam Henry, Next Generation Academy selection #9), moving their default first round pick
* $^b$ Greater Western Sydney are carrying over a 254.2 point deficit from 2019 (Tom Green, Academy selection #10), moving their default second round pick
* $^c$ Port Adelaide are carrying over a 115.9 point deficit from 2019 (Jackson Mead, Father–son rule selection #25), moving their default second round pick

### Rookie elevations

Clubs were able to promote any player who was listed on their rookie list in 2020 to their 2021 primary playing list prior to the draft.
Table of rookie elevations :
| Player | Club |
| Tom Fullarton | Brisbane Lions |
| Michael Gibbons | Carlton |
| Jack Madgen | Collingwood |
| Brody Mihocek | Collingwood |
| Connor Budarick | Gold Coast |
| Nick Holman | Gold Coast |
| Malcolm Rosas | Gold Coast |
| Jack Buckley | Greater Western Sydney |
| Changkuoth Jiath | Hawthorn |
| Jay Lockhart | Melbourne |
| Liam Baker | Richmond |
| Mabior Chol | Richmond |
| Joel Amartey | Sydney |
| Harry Edwards | West Coast |

## 2021 pre-season draft

The 2021 pre-season draft was held on the afternoon of Thursday, 10 December 2020 prior to the commencement of the rookie draft.
Table of pre-season draft selections :
| Round | Pick | Player | Club | Recruited from | Recruited from | Notes |
| Round | Pick | Player | Club | Club | League | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Jackson Hately | Adelaide | Greater Western Sydney | AFL | |

## 2021 rookie draft

Table of rookie draft selections :
| Round | Pick | Player | Club | Recruited from | Recruited from | Notes |
| Round | Pick | Player | Club | Club | League | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Bryce Gibbs | Adelaide | Adelaide | AFL | Gibbs retired on 10 September 2020. However, Gibbs was retained as an inactive player on Adelaide's Rookie List due to a contractual settlement |
| 1 | 2 | Patrick Walker | North Melbourne | North Hobart | TSL | |
| 1 | 3 | Malachy Carruthers | Sydney | Sturt | SANFL | |
| 1 | 4 | Jack Saunders | Hawthorn | Norwood | SANFL | |
| 1 | 5 | Jacob Townsend | Gold Coast | Essendon | AFL | |
| 1 | 6 | Martin Gleeson | Essendon | Essendon | AFL | |
| 1 | 7 | Josh Treacy | Fremantle | Bendigo Pioneers | NAB League | |
| 1 | 8 | Luke Parks | Carlton | Glenelg | SANFL | |
| 1 | 9 | Sam Reid | Greater Western Sydney | Greater Western Sydney | AFL | |
| 1 | 10 | Passed | Melbourne | — | — | |
| 1 | 11 | Lachlan McNeil | Western Bulldogs | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | |
| 1 | 12 | Zane Trew | West Coast | Swan Districts | WAFL | |
| 1 | 13 | Jack Ginnivan | Collingwood | Bendigo Pioneers | NAB League | |
| 1 | 14 | Passed | St Kilda | — | — | |
| 1 | 15 | Grant Birchall | Brisbane Lions | Brisbane Lions | AFL | |
| 1 | 16 | Tyson Goldsack | Port Adelaide | Port Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 1 | 17 | Passed | Richmond | — | — | |
| 2 | 18 | Connor Menadue | North Melbourne | Werribee | VFL | |
| 2 | 19 | Passed | Sydney | — | — | |
| 2 | 20 | Jack Hombsch | Gold Coast | Gold Coast | AFL | |
| 2 | 21 | Dylan Clarke | Essendon | Essendon | AFL | |
| 2 | 22 | Bailey Banfield | Fremantle | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 2 | 23 | Passed | Carlton | — | — | |
| 2 | 24 | Zach Sproule | Greater Western Sydney | Greater Western Sydney | AFL | |
| 2 | 25 | Passed | Melbourne | — | — | |
| 2 | 26 | Roarke Smith | Western Bulldogs | Western Bulldogs | AFL | |
| 2 | 27 | Daniel Venables | West Coast | West Coast | AFL | |
| 2 | 28 | Isaac Chugg | Collingwood | Launceston | TSL | |
| 2 | 29 | Passed | St Kilda | — | — | |
| 2 | 30 | Passed | Port Adelaide | — | — | |
| 2 | 31 | Passed | Richmond | — | — | |
| 3 | 32 | Passed | North Melbourne | — | — | |
| 3 | 33 | Jordan Murdoch | Gold Coast | Gold Coast | AFL | |
| 3 | 34 | Passed | Essendon | — | — | |
| 3 | 35 | Passed | Collingwood | — | — | |
| 3 | 36 | Passed | St Kilda | — | — | |
| 3 | 37 | Taj Schofield | Port Adelaide | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | Father–son selection (son of Jarrad Schofield) |
| 3 | 38 | Aiden Fyfe | Gold Coast | Broadbeach | QAFL | Academy selection |
| 3 | 39 | Passed | Collingwood | — | — | |
| 4 | 40 | Rhys Nicholls | Gold Coast | Labrador | QAFL | Academy selection |

### Category B rookie selections

Table of Category B rookie signings :
| Name | Club | Origin | Note |
| Tariek Newchurch | Adelaide | North Adelaide (SANFL) | Next Generation Academy selection (Indigenous) |
| James Borlase | Adelaide | Sturt (SANFL) | Next Generation Academy selection (born in Egypt) |
| Deividas Uosis | Brisbane Lions | Kerry GAA | International selection (Ireland) |
| Carter Michael | Brisbane Lions | Maroochydore (QAFL) | Academy selection |
| Paul Tsapatolis | Geelong | Keilor Thunder (Big V) | 3-year non-registered player (basketball) |
| Hewago Oea | Gold Coast | Gold Coast (NEAFL) | International selection (Papua New Guinea) |
| Will Shaw | Greater Western Sydney | Bendigo Pioneers (NAB League) | Academy selection |
| Mate Colina | Richmond | Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (NCAA) | 3-year non-registered player (basketball) |
| Marc Sheather | Sydney | Pennant Hills (Sydney AFL) | Academy selection |

### Pre-season supplemental selection period

Table of Pre-season supplemental selection period signings :
| Player | Club | Recruited from | Recruited from | Notes | Ref |
| Player | Club | Club | League | Notes | Ref |
| Nick Murray | Adelaide | Williamstown | VFL | | |
| Oscar McDonald | Carlton | Melbourne | AFL | | |
| Alec Waterman | Essendon | Claremont | WAFL | Previously listed with West Coast | |
| Kaine Baldwin | Essendon | Glenelg | SANFL | | |
| Lachlan Bramble | Hawthorn | Williamstown | VFL | | |
| Majak Daw | Melbourne | North Melbourne | AFL | | |
| Deakyn Smith | Melbourne | Dandenong Stingrays | NAB League | | |
| Rhyan Mansell | Richmond | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | | |
| Derek Eggmolesse-Smith | Richmond | Richmond | AFL | Re-signed player | |
| Mason Wood | St Kilda | North Melbourne | AFL | | |
| Paul Hunter | St Kilda | South Adelaide | SANFL | Previously listed with Adelaide | |
| Anthony Scott | Western Bulldogs | Footscray | VFL | | |