# 2021 AFL draft

The 2021 AFL draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) could trade and recruit players during and following the completion of the 2021 AFL season.
The National Draft returned to being a two day event in 2021, after being held on a single night in 2020.
After coming 18th in the 2021 AFL season, the North Melbourne Football Club held the number one draft pick in the National draft for the first time, selecting South Adelaide midfielder Jason Horne-Francis.

## Key Dates

Table of key dates :
| Event | Date(s) |
| Mid-season rookie draft | 2 June 2021 |
| Free agency period | Restricted and Unrestricted: 1–8 October 2021 Delisted: 3–15 November 2021 |
| Trade period | 4–13 October 2021 |
| National draft | First round: 24 November 2021 Second and subsequent rounds: 25 November 2021 |
| Pre-Season and Rookie draft | 26 November 2021 |
| Pre-season supplemental selection period | 10 January 2022 - 9 March 2022 |

## 2021 mid-season rookie draft

The mid-season draft was held after the conclusion of Round 11 of the 2021 AFL season on 2 June. The draft was only open to clubs with inactive players on their list and vacancies available, such as long term injuries or retirements.
Mid-season draft selections :
| Round | Pick | Player | Club | Recruited from | Recruited from | Pick due to |
| Round | Pick | Player | Club | Club | League | Pick due to |
| 1 | 1 | Jacob Edwards | North Melbourne | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | Flynn Perez long-term injury |
| 1 | 2 | Jai Newcombe | Hawthorn | Box Hill Hawks | VFL | Jonathon Patton retirement |
| 1 | 3 | Ash Johnson | Collingwood | Sturt | SANFL | Passed selection at the 2020 Rookie Draft |
| 1 | 4 | Patrick Parnell | Adelaide | Murray Bushrangers | NAB League | Tyson Stengle delisting |
| 1 | 5 | Ned Moyle | Gold Coast | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | Jarrod Witts long-term injury |
| 1 | 6 | Alex Mirkov | Carlton | Carlton | VFL | Caleb Marchbank long-term injury |
| 1 | 7 | Max Heath | St Kilda | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | Dylan Roberton retirement |
| 1 | 8 | James Peatling | Greater Western Sydney | Greater Western Sydney | VFL | Lachlan Keeffe long-term injury |
| 1 | 9 | Sam Durham | Essendon | Richmond | VFL | Irving Mosquito long-term injury |
| 1 | 10 | Matthew Parker | Richmond | South Fremantle | WAFL | Ivan Soldo long-term injury |
| 1 | 11 | William Collins | West Coast | Swan Districts | WAFL | Daniel Venables long-term injury |
| 1 | 12 | Lachlan McAndrew | Sydney | Sydney | VFL | Passed selection at the 2020 Rookie Draft |
| 1 | 13 | Jed McEntee | Port Adelaide | Sturt | SANFL | Passed selection at the 2020 Rookie Draft |
| 1 | 14 | Kalin Lane | Brisbane Lions | Claremont | WAFL | Cam Rayner long-term injury |
| 1 | 15 | Kye Declase | Melbourne | Werribee | VFL | Aaron Nietschke long-term injury |
| 2 | 16 | Charlie Ham | North Melbourne | Geelong Falcons | NAB League | Passed selection at the 2020 Rookie Draft |
| 2 | 17 | Jackson Callow | Hawthorn | Norwood | SANFL | James Sicily long-term injury |
| 2 | 18 | Aiden Begg | Collingwood | Eastern Ranges | NAB League | Passed selection at the 2020 Rookie Draft |
| 2 | 19 | Passed | Gold Coast | — | — | Rory Thompson long-term injury |
| 2 | 20 | Jordan Boyd | Carlton | Footscray | VFL | David Cuningham long-term injury |
| 2 | 21 | Cooper Sharman | St Kilda | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | Jade Gresham long-term injury |
| 2 | 22 | Passed | Essendon | — | — | Michael Hurley long-term injury |
| 2 | 23 | Connor West | West Coast | West Perth | WAFL | Jarrod Cameron long-term injury |
| 2 | 24 | Daniel Turner | Melbourne | Murray Bushrangers | NAB League | Marty Hore long-term injury |
| 3 | 25 | Passed | Carlton | — | — | Sam Philp long-term injury |
| 3 | 26 | Passed | St Kilda | — | — | Ben Paton long-term injury |
| 4 | 27 | Passed | St Kilda | — | — | Passed selection at the 2020 Rookie Draft |

## 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 30 selections for the 2021 draft were traded during the 2020 trade period. Further trades of future picks can be made before or during the 2020 national draft. The selection order for each of these picks is tied to the original club's finishing position in the 2021 season.
Table of previously traded selections :
| Rd | Orig. Club | New Club | Acquired via | Ref |
| 1 | Collingwood | Greater Western Sydney | Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft | |
| 1 | Melbourne | Brisbane Lions | Pick swap | |
| 1 | Geelong | Richmond | Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft | |
| 2 | Collingwood | Hawthorn | Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft | |
| 2 | St Kilda | Richmond | Jack Higgins trade | |
| 2 | Essendon | Geelong | via Greater Western Sydney (Jye Caldwell trade) on-traded to Geelong (Jeremy Cameron trade) | [7] [8] |
| 2 | Greater Western Sydney | Geelong | Jeremy Cameron trade | |
| 2 | Western Bulldogs | Collingwood | Adam Treloar trade | |
| 2 | Brisbane Lions | Melbourne | Pick swap | |
| 2 | Port Adelaide | West Coast | via Sydney (Aliir Aliir trade) on-traded to West Coast (Tom Hickey trade) | [10] [11] |
| 2 | Melbourne | Adelaide | Pick swap | |
| 3 | Gold Coast | Richmond | Oleg Markov trade | |
| 3 | Adelaide | Collingwood | Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft | |
| 3 | Hawthorn | Melbourne | Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft | |
| 3 | Carlton | Gold Coast | via Sydney (pick swap) on-traded to Gold Coast (pick swap) | [14] [15] |
| 3 | Fremantle | Collingwood | Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft | |
| 3 | West Coast | Brisbane Lions | Alex Witherden trade | |
| 3 | Sydney | West Coast | Tom Hickey trade | |
| 3 | Western Bulldogs | Melbourne | Mitch Hannan trade | |
| 3 | Port Adelaide | Essendon | Orazio Fantasia trade | |
| 3 | Melbourne | Gold Coast | via Brisbane Lions (pick swap) on-traded to Geelong (Nakia Cockatoo trade) on-traded to Gold Coast (pick swap) | [19] [20] [21] |
| 4 | North Melbourne | Hawthorn | via Melbourne (Ben Brown trade) on-traded to Hawthorn (Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft) | |
| 4 | Collingwood | Brisbane Lions | Pick swap | |
| 4 | Hawthorn | Port Adelaide | via Adelaide (Kyle Hartigan trade) on-traded to Port Adelaide (Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft) | |
| 4 | Richmond | Hawthorn | via St Kilda (Jack Higgins trade) on-traded to Hawthorn (Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft) | |
| 4 | Fremantle | Adelaide | Pick swap | |
| 4 | Essendon | Gold Coast | Peter Wright trade | |
| 4 | Brisbane Lions | North Melbourne | via Melbourne (pick swap) on-traded to North Melbourne (Ben Brown trade) | [19] [22] |
| 4 | Melbourne | Brisbane Lions | via Adelaide (pick swap) on-traded to Brisbane Lions (pick swap) | [12] [27] |
| 4 | Geelong | Port Adelaide | via Greater Western Sydney (Jeremy Cameron trade) on-traded to Collingwood (Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft) on-traded to Port Adelaide (Pick swap at the 2020 National Draft) | |

## Player movements
### Free agency

2021 AFL free agency period signings :
| Player | Free agent type | Recruited from | New club | Compensation |
| Jake Kelly | Unrestricted | Adelaide | Essendon | 3rd round |
| Mabior Chol | Unrestricted | Richmond | Gold Coast | End of 2nd round |
| George Hewett | Restricted | Sydney | Carlton | End of 2nd round |
| Luke Dunstan | Unrestricted | St Kilda | Melbourne | None |
| Tim O'Brien | Unrestricted | Hawthorn | Western Bulldogs | None |
| Jarrod Brander | Delisted | West Coast | Greater Western Sydney | — |
| Sam Skinner | Delisted | South Adelaide (SANFL) | Port Adelaide | — |
| Tom Campbell | Delisted | North Melbourne | St Kilda | — |
| Tyson Stengle$^*$ | Delisted | Woodville-West Torrens (SANFL) | Geelong | — |
| Hugh Greenwood | Delisted | Gold Coast | North Melbourne | — |
* $^a$ Sam Skinner was delisted by Brisbane Lions in 2020
* $^b$ Tyson Stengle was delisted by Adelaide during the 2021 pre-season

### Trades

Table of trades :
| Clubs involved | Trade | Trade |
| Gold Coast Collingwood | to Gold Coast (from Collingwood) 2022 second round pick (Collingwood) 2022 third round pick (Collingwood) 2022 fourth round pick (Collingwood) | to Collingwood (from Gold Coast) pick #22 pick #46 pick #58 pick #79 2022 fourth round pick (Gold Coast) |
| Collingwood Geelong | to Collingwood (from Geelong) Nathan Kreuger pick #55 | to Geelong (from Collingwood) pick #41 |
| Port Adelaide Greater Western Sydney | to Port Adelaide (from Greater Western Sydney) Jeremy Finlayson | to Greater Western Sydney (from Port Adelaide) 2022 third round pick (Port Adelaide) |
| Melbourne Western Bulldogs Adelaide St Kilda | to Melbourne pick #17 (from Western Bulldogs) pick #37 (from Adelaide) pick #49 (from St Kilda) to Western Bulldogs pick #23 (from Adelaide) pick #44 (from Adelaide) pick #45 (from Melbourne) | to Adelaide pick #33 (from Melbourne) pick #75 (from Western Bulldogs) 2022 first round pick (Melbourne) to St Kilda pick #62 (from Adelaide) pick #66 (from Adelaide) 2022 fourth round pick (Adelaide) |
| Collingwood Fremantle | to Collingwood (from Fremantle) pick #22 | to Fremantle (from Collingwood) pick #27 2022 third round pick (Fremantle) |
| Fremantle Gold Coast | to Fremantle (from Gold Coast) Will Brodie pick #19 pick #61 pick #69 | to Gold Coast (from Fremantle) 2022 second round pick (Fremantle) 2022 fourth round pick (Fremantle) |
| Carlton Fremantle | to Carlton (from Fremantle) Adam Cerra | to Fremantle (from Carlton) pick #6 2022 third round pick (Carlton) |
| West Coast Carlton Western Bulldogs | to West Coast (from Carlton) Sam Petrevski-Seton to Carlton (from Western Bulldogs) Lewis Young | to Western Bulldogs (from West Coast) pick #52 |
| North Melbourne Richmond | to North Melbourne (from Richmond) Callum Coleman-Jones pick #42 pick #47 2022 fourth round pick (Richmond) | to Richmond (from North Melbourne) Robbie Tarrant pick #40 2022 second round pick (North Melbourne) |
| Collingwood Western Bulldogs | to Collingwood (from Western Bulldogs) Patrick Lipinski | to Western Bulldogs (from Collingwood) pick #43 |
| Adelaide Sydney | to Adelaide (from Sydney) Jordan Dawson | to Sydney (from Adelaide) 2022 first round pick (Melbourne) |
| Brisbane Lions Geelong | to Brisbane Lions (from Geelong) Darcy Fort pick #41 | to Geelong (from Brisbane Lions) pick #50 2022 third round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| Geelong Hawthorn | to Geelong (from Hawthorn) Jonathon Ceglar 2022 fourth round pick (Hawthorn) | to Hawthorn (from Geelong) 2022 third round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| Fremantle Geelong | to Fremantle (from Geelong) Jordan Clark 2022 fourth round pick (Geelong) | to Geelong (from Fremantle) pick #22 2022 third round pick (Carlton) |
| Sydney Port Adelaide | to Sydney (from Port Adelaide) Peter Ladhams pick #16 | to Port Adelaide (from Sydney) pick #12 2022 third round pick (Sydney) |
| Hawthorn Collingwood | to Hawthorn (from Collingwood) Max Lynch 2022 third round pick (Fremantle) 2022 fourth round pick (Gold Coast) | to Collingwood (from Hawthorn) 2022 third round pick (Hawthorn) 2022 third round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| Richmond Collingwood | to Richmond (from Collingwood) pick #27 | to Collingwood (from Richmond) pick #38 pick #40 2022 third round pick (Richmond) |
| Greater Western Sydney Brisbane Lions | to Greater Western Sydney (from Brisbane Lions) pick #54 | to Brisbane Lions (from Greater Western Sydney) 2022 third round pick (Port Adelaide) |
| St Kilda Collingwood | to St Kilda (from Collingwood) pick #55 | to Collingwood (from St Kilda) 2022 fourth round pick (Adelaide) |
| Picks swapped at the 2021 National Draft ||||
| Geelong Western Bulldogs | to Geelong (from Western Bulldogs) pick #23 | to Western Bulldogs (from Geelong) pick #32 pick #34 |
| North Melbourne Western Bulldogs | to North Melbourne (from Western Bulldogs) pick #32 pick #52 2022 third round pick (Western Bulldogs) | to Western Bulldogs (from North Melbourne) pick #42 pick #47 2022 third round pick (North Melbourne) |
| North Melbourne Collingwood | to North Melbourne (from Collingwood) pick #36 | to Collingwood (from North Melbourne) pick #48 2022 third round pick (Western Bulldogs) |
| Port Adelaide West Coast | to Port Adelaide (from West Coast) pick #12 | to West Coast (from Port Adelaide) pick #14 2022 second round pick (Port Adelaide) |
| Collingwood Greater Western Sydney | to Collingwood (from Greater Western Sydney) pick #48 | to Greater Western Sydney (from Collingwood) 2022 fourth round pick (Adelaide) |
| Adelaide Melbourne | to Adelaide (from Melbourne) pick #43 | to Melbourne (from Adelaide) 2022 third round pick (Adelaide) |
| Port Adelaide Carlton | to Port Adelaide (from Carlton) pick #55 | to Carlton (from Port Adelaide) 2022 fourth round pick (Port Adelaide) |
| Collingwood Geelong | to Collingwood (from Geelong) pick #45 | to Geelong (from Collingwood) pick #47 2022 third round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| St Kilda Melbourne | to St Kilda (from Melbourne) pick #51 | to Melbourne (from St Kilda) 2022 fourth round pick (St Kilda) |
| West Coast Port Adelaide | to West Coast (from Port Adelaide) pick #62 | to Port Adelaide (from West Coast) 2022 fourth round pick (West Coast) |

## List changes
### Retirements

Table key :
| R | Rookie listed player |
| B | Category B Rookie listed player |
Table of player retirements :
| Name | Club |
| Sam Lloyd | Western Bulldogs |
| Ross McQuillan (B) | Essendon |
| Tom Scully | Hawthorn |
| Dylan Roberton | St Kilda |
| Jonathon Patton | Hawthorn |
| Levi Greenwood | Collingwood |
| Chris Mayne | Collingwood |
| Lin Jong | Western Bulldogs |
| Daniel Venables (R) | West Coast |
| Marc Murphy | Carlton |
| Stephen Hill | Fremantle |
| Tom Rockliff | Port Adelaide |
| Patrick Ambrose | Essendon |
| Jack Hombsch (R) | Gold Coast |
| Jordan Murdoch (R) | Gold Coast |
| Zac Smith (R) | Gold Coast |
| Eddie Betts (R) | Carlton |
| David Astbury | Richmond |
| Cale Hooker | Essendon |
| Jarrod Harbrow (R) | Gold Coast |
| Shaun McKernan | St Kilda |
| David Mackay (R) | Adelaide |
| Bachar Houli | Richmond |
| Shaun Burgoyne | Hawthorn |
| Jake Carlisle | St Kilda |
| James Frawley | St Kilda |
| Anton Tohill (B) | Collingwood |
| Nathan Vardy | West Coast |
| Grant Birchall (R) | Brisbane Lions |
| Nathan Jones | Melbourne |
| Josh Jenkins | Geelong |
| Archie Smith | Brisbane Lions |
| Neville Jetta | Melbourne |
| Lachie Henderson | Geelong |
| Stefan Okunbor (B) | Geelong |
| Josh Thomas | Collingwood |
| Daniel Talia | Adelaide |
| Easton Wood | Western Bulldogs |
| Shane Mumford | Greater Western Sydney |
| Liam Jones | Carlton |
| Aaron vandenBerg | Melbourne |

### Delistings

Table key :
| R | Rookie listed player |
| B | Category B Rookie listed player |
Table of player delistings :
| Name | Club |
| Tyson Stengle | Adelaide |
| Leno Thomas (B) | Fremantle |
| Tom Lynch | Adelaide |
| Levi Casboult | Carlton |
| Reece Conca | Fremantle |
| Patrick Naish | Richmond |
| Brett Bewley (R) | Fremantle |
| Taylin Duman | Fremantle |
| Stefan Giro | Fremantle |
| Tobe Watson (R) | Fremantle |
| David Zaharakis | Essendon |
| Taylor Garner | North Melbourne |
| Dom Tyson | North Melbourne |
| Will Walker | North Melbourne |
| Connor Menadue (R) | North Melbourne |
| James Cousins | Hawthorn |
| Damon Greaves (R) | Hawthorn |
| Michael Hartley | Hawthorn |
| Keegan Brooksby (R) | Hawthorn |
| Harry Pepper (B) | Hawthorn |
| Mark Hutchings (R) | West Coast |
| Brendon Ah Chee (R) | West Coast |
| Irving Mosquito | Essendon |
| Ned Cahill | Essendon |
| Lachlan Johnson | Essendon |
| Oscar Clavarino (R) | St Kilda |
| Sam Alabakis (B) | St Kilda |
| Hamish Hartlett | Port Adelaide |
| Joel Garner | Port Adelaide |
| Tyson Goldsack (R) | Port Adelaide |
| Sam Reid | Greater Western Sydney |
| Matthew Buntine | Greater Western Sydney |
| Nick Shipley | Greater Western Sydney |
| Tom Hutchesson | Greater Western Sydney |
| Brayden Ainsworth | West Coast |
| Ben Johnson | West Coast |
| Will Collins (R) | West Coast |
| Ben Jarvis | Geelong |
| Cameron Taheny | Geelong |
| Kaiden Brand | Sydney |
| Sam Gray (R) | Sydney |
| Matthew Ling | Sydney |
| Malachy Carruthers (R) | Sydney |
| Aiden Fyfe (R) | Gold Coast |
| Jay Lockhart | Melbourne |
| Aaron Nietschke (R) | Melbourne |
| Austin Bradtke (B) | Melbourne |
| Jarrod Cameron | West Coast |
| Michael Gibbons | Carlton |
| Sam Ramsay | Carlton |
| Oscar Brownless (R) | Geelong |
| Lochie O'Brien | Carlton |
| Matt Cottrell (R) | Carlton |
| Martin Gleeson (R) | Essendon |
| Brayden Sier | Collingwood |
| Jay Rantall | Collingwood |
| Charlie Constable | Geelong |
| Oliver Hanrahan | Hawthorn |
| Will Hayes (R) | Western Bulldogs |
| Ben Cavarra (R) | Western Bulldogs |
| Jarrod Lienert | Port Adelaide |
| Boyd Woodcock (R) | Port Adelaide |
| Sam Mayes | Port Adelaide |
| Trent Burgoyne (R) | Port Adelaide |
| Derek Eggmolesse-Smith (R) | Richmond |
| Ryan Garthwaite | Richmond |
| Noah Cumberland | Richmond |
| Bigoa Nyuon | Richmond |
| Jack Lonie | St Kilda |
| Marty Hore | Melbourne |
| Kye Declase (R) | Melbourne |
| Shaun Atley | North Melbourne |
| Trent Dumont | North Melbourne |
| Tom Campbell (R) | North Melbourne |
| Charlie Ham (R) | North Melbourne |
| Cam Ellis-Yolmen | Brisbane Lions |
| Tom Joyce | Brisbane Lions |
| Brock Smith | Brisbane Lions |
| Connor Ballenden (R) | Brisbane Lions |
| Jarrod Brander | West Coast |
| Ben Davis | Adelaide |
| Ronin O'Connor | Adelaide |
| Paul Hunter | St Kilda |
| Connor Blakely | Fremantle |
| Mitch Crowden | Fremantle |
| Jacob Townsend (R) | Gold Coast |
| Luke Towey (B) | Gold Coast |
| Jared Polec | North Melbourne |
| Lewis Taylor | Sydney |
| Dylan Clarke | Essendon |
| Hugh Greenwood | Gold Coast |
| Rory Thompson | Gold Coast |
| Jez McLenan | Gold Coast |
| Jacob Wehr | Greater Western Sydney |

## 2021 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 | Jason Horne-Francis | North Melbourne | South Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 1 | 2 | Sam Darcy | Western Bulldogs | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | Father–son selection (son of Luke Darcy), matched bid by Greater Western Sydney, used picks 34, 42, 43, 44, 45 |
| 1 | 3 | Finn Callaghan | Greater Western Sydney | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | ←Collingwood (2020) |
| 1 | 4 | Nick Daicos * | Collingwood | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | Father–son selection (son of Peter Daicos), matched bid by Gold Coast, used picks 38, 40, 42, 44 |
| 1 | 5 | Mac Andrew | Gold Coast | Dandenong Stingrays | NAB League | |
| 1 | 6 | Josh Rachele | Adelaide | Murray Bushrangers | NAB League | |
| 1 | 7 | Josh Ward | Hawthorn | Northern Knights | NAB League | |
| 1 | 8 | Jye Amiss | Fremantle | East Perth | WAFL | ←Carlton |
| 1 | 9 | Josh Gibcus | Richmond | GWV Rebels | NAB League | |
| 1 | 10 | Neil Erasmus | Fremantle | Subiaco | WAFL | |
| 1 | 11 | Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera | St Kilda | Glenelg | SANFL | |
| 1 | 12 | Josh Sinn | Port Adelaide | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | ←West Coast (draft) |
| 1 | 13 | Ben Hobbs | Essendon | GWV Rebels | NAB League | |
| 1 | 14 | Campbell Chesser | West Coast | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | ←Port Adelaide (draft)←Sydney |
| 1 | 15 | Leek Aleer | Greater Western Sydney | Central District | SANFL | |
| 1 | 16 | Darcy Wilmot | Brisbane Lions | Northern Knights | NAB League | |
| 1 | 17 | Tom Brown | Richmond | Murray Bushrangers | NAB League | ←Geelong (2020) |
| 1 | 18 | Angus Sheldrick | Sydney | Claremont | WAFL | ←Port Adelaide |
| 1 | 19 | Jacob van Rooyen | Melbourne | Claremont | WAFL | ←Western Bulldogs |
| 1 | 20 | Kai Lohmann | Brisbane Lions | GWV Rebels | NAB League | ←Melbourne (2020) |
| 2 | 21 | Matthew Johnson | Fremantle | Subiaco | WAFL | ←Gold Coast (priority pick) |
| 2 | 22 | Josh Goater | North Melbourne | Calder Cannons | NAB League | |
| 2 | 23 | Sam Butler | Hawthorn | GWV Rebels | NAB League | ←Collingwood (2020) |
| 2 | 24 | Toby Conway | Geelong | Geelong Falcons | NAB League | ←Fremantle←Collingwood←Gold Coast |
| 2 | 25 | Mitch Knevitt | Geelong | Geelong Falcons | NAB League | ←Western Bulldogs (draft)←Adelaide |
| 2 | 26 | Connor MacDonald | Hawthorn | Dandenong Stingrays | NAB League | |
| 2 | 27 | Jesse Motlop | Carlton | South Fremantle | WAFL | |
| 2 | 28 | Tyler Sonsie | Richmond | Eastern Ranges | NAB League | |
| 2 | 29 | Sam Banks | Richmond | Tasmania Devils | NAB League | ←Collingwood←Fremantle |
| 2 | 30 | Judson Clarke | Richmond | Dandenong Stingrays | NAB League | ←St Kilda (2020) |
| 2 | 31 | Brady Hough | West Coast | Peel Thunder | WAFL | |
| 2 | 32 | James Willis | Geelong | North Adelaide | SANFL | ←Greater Western Sydney (2020)←Essendon (2020) |
| 2 | 33 | Mitchito Owens | St Kilda | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | Next Generation Academy selection (Japanese descent), matched bid by Sydney, used picks 48 and 54 |
| 2 | 34 | Matthew Roberts | Sydney | South Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 2 | 35 | Paul Curtis | North Melbourne | Western Jets | NAB League | ←Western Bulldogs (draft)←Geelong (draft)←Greater Western Sydney (2020) |
| 2 | 36 | Jake Soligo | Adelaide | Eastern Ranges | NAB League | ←Melbourne←Brisbane Lions (2020) |
| 2 | 37 | Rhett Bazzo | West Coast | Swan Districts | WAFL | ←Sydney (2020)←Port Adelaide (2020) |
| 2 | 38 | Miller Bergman | North Melbourne | Dandenong Stingrays | NAB League | ←Collingwood (draft)←Western Bulldogs (2020) |
| 2 | 39 | Blake Howes | Melbourne | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | ←Adelaide←Melbourne (2020) |
| 3 | 40 | Corey Warner | Sydney | East Fremantle | WAFL | Free agency compensation pick (Hewett) |
| 3 | 41 | James Tunstill | Brisbane Lions | East Perth | WAFL | ←Geelong←Collingwood |
| 3 | 42 | Josh Fahey | Greater Western Sydney | Queanbeyan Tigers | AFL Canberra | Academy selection, matched bid by Western Bulldogs, used picks 47 and 89 |
| 3 | 43 | Arthur Jones | Western Bulldogs | Claremont | WAFL | ←North Melbourne (draft)←Richmond←Gold Coast (2020) |
| 3 | 44 | Zac Taylor | Adelaide | Calder Cannons | NAB League | ←Melbourne (draft)←St Kilda |
| 3 | 45 | Arlo Draper | Collingwood | South Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 3 | 46 | Alastair Lord | Essendon | Norwood | SANFL | |
| 3 | 47 | Marcus Windhager | St Kilda | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | Next Generation Academy selection (Indigenous), matched bid by Geelong, used pick 57 |
| 3 | 48 | Flynn Kroeger | Geelong | Eastern Ranges | NAB League | ←Brisbane Lions←West Coast (2020) |
| 3 | 49 | Cooper Murley | Collingwood | Norwood | SANFL | ←North Melbourne (draft)←Western Bulldogs (draft)←Carlton←West Coast←Sydney (2020) |
| 3 | 50 | Garrett McDonagh | Essendon | Richmond | VFL | ←Port Adelaide (2020) |
| 3 | 51 | Oscar Adams | St Kilda | Glenelg | SANFL | ←Melbourne (draft)←Western Bulldogs (2020) |
| 3 | 52 | Harvey Harrison | Collingwood | North Adelaide | SANFL | ←Gold Coast←Geelong (2020)←Brisbane Lions (2020)←Melbourne (2020) |
| 4 | 53 | Jai Serong | Hawthorn | Gippsland Power | NAB League | ←Melbourne (2020)←North Melbourne (2020) |
| 4 | 54 | Eric 'Roy' Benning | Fremantle | Claremont | WAFL | Next Generation Academy selection (Indigenous) ←Gold Coast |
| 4 | 55 | Hugh Jackson | Port Adelaide | North Adelaide | SANFL | ←Adelaide (2020)←Hawthorn (2020) |
| 4 | 56 | Dante Visentini | Port Adelaide | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | ←Carlton (draft) |
| 4 | 57 | Jack Williams | West Coast | East Fremantle | WAFL | |
| 4 | 58 | Lachlan Rankin | Sydney | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | |
| 4 | 59 | Jackson Archer | North Melbourne | Northern Knights | NAB League | Father–son selection (son of Glenn Archer) ←Melbourne (2020)←Brisbane Lions (2020) |
| 4 | 60 | Jase Burgoyne | Port Adelaide | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | Father–son selection (son of Peter Burgoyne) ←Collingwood (2020)←Greater Western Sydney (2020)←Geelong (2020) |
| 4 | 61 | Luke Cleary | Western Bulldogs | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League | |
| 4 | 62 | Greg Clark | West Coast | Subiaco | WAFL | ←Port Adelaide (draft) |
| 4 | 63 | Charlie Constable | Gold Coast | Geelong | AFL | |
| 4 | 64 | Cooper Whyte | Geelong | Geelong Falcons | NAB League | |
| 4 | 65 | Taj Woewodin | Melbourne | East Fremantle | WAFL | Father–son selection (son of Shane Woewodin) |

### Rookie elevations

Clubs were able to promote any player who was listed on their rookie list in 2021 to their 2022 primary playing list prior to the draft.
Table of rookie elevations :
| Player | Club |
| Ben Keays | Adelaide |
| Josh Honey | Carlton |
| Matthew Kennedy | Carlton |
| Will Snelling | Essendon |
| Ethan Hughes | Fremantle |
| Emerson Jeka | Hawthorn |
| Dylan Moore | Hawthorn |
| Ned Reeves | Hawthorn |
| James Jordon | Melbourne |
| Martin Frederick | Port Adelaide |
| Rhyan Mansell | Richmond |
| Callum Wilkie | St Kilda |
| Ryan Gardner | Western Bulldogs |

## 2022 pre-season 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 | Passed | North Melbourne | — | — |
| 1 | 2 | Passed | Collingwood | — | — |
| 1 | 3 | Rory Thompson | Gold Coast | Gold Coast | AFL |
| 1 | 4 | Luke Nankervis | Adelaide | Sandringham Dragons | NAB League |
| 1 | 5 | Passed | Essendon | — | — |

## 2022 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 | Jared Polec | North Melbourne | North Melbourne | AFL | |
| 1 | 2 | Charlie Dean | Collingwood | Williamstown | VFL | |
| 1 | 3 | Levi Casboult | Gold Coast | Carlton | AFL | |
| 1 | 4 | Ben Davis | Adelaide | Adelaide | AFL | |
| 1 | 5 | Ned Long | Hawthorn | Northern Knights | NAB League | |
| 1 | 6 | Lochie O'Brien | Carlton | Carlton | AFL | |
| 1 | 7 | Bigoa Nyuon | Richmond | Richmond | AFL | |
| 1 | 8 | Karl Worner | Fremantle | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | |
| 1 | 9 | Passed | St Kilda | — | — | |
| 1 | 10 | Passed | West Coast | — | — | |
| 1 | 11 | Patrick Voss | Essendon | Oakleigh Chargers | NAB League | |
| 1 | 12 | Lewis Taylor | Sydney | Sydney | AFL | |
| 1 | 13 | Cooper Hamilton | Greater Western Sydney | Bendigo Pioneers | NAB League | |
| 1 | 14 | Cam Ellis-Yolmen | Brisbane Lions | Brisbane Lions | AFL | |
| 1 | 15 | Oliver Dempsey | Geelong | Old Carey Grammarians | VAFA | |
| 1 | 16 | Trent Dumont | Port Adelaide | North Melbourne | AFL | |
| 1 | 17 | Charlie Parker | Western Bulldogs | Sturt | SANFL | |
| 1 | 18 | Judd McVee | Melbourne | East Fremantle | WAFL | |
| 2 | 19 | Passed | North Melbourne | — | — | |
| 2 | 20 | Isaac Chugg | Collingwood | Collingwood | AFL | |
| 2 | 21 | Jez McLennan | Gold Coast | Gold Coast | AFL | |
| 2 | 22 | Passed | Adelaide | — | — | |
| 2 | 23 | Passed | Hawthorn | — | — | |
| 2 | 24 | Matt Cottrell | Carlton | Carlton | AFL | |
| 2 | 25 | Mitch Crowden | Fremantle | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 2 | 26 | Passed | St Kilda | — | — | |
| 2 | 27 | Passed | Essendon | — | — | |
| 2 | 28 | Passed | Sydney | — | — | |
| 2 | 29 | Jacob Wehr | Greater Western Sydney | Greater Western Sydney | AFL | |
| 2 | 30 | Passed | Geelong | — | — | |
| 2 | 31 | Sam Mayes | Port Adelaide | Port Adelaide | AFL | |
| 2 | 32 | Robbie McComb | Western Bulldogs | Footscray | VFL | |
| 3 | 33 | Passed | Gold Coast | — | — | |
| 3 | 34 | Connor Blakely | Fremantle | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 3 | 35 | Passed | Essendon | — | — | |
| 4 | 36 | Sandy Brock | Gold Coast | Peel Thunder | WAFL | Academy selection |
| 5 | 37 | Bodhi Uwland | Gold Coast | Broadbeach | QAFL | Academy selection |

### Category B rookie selections

Table of Category B rookie selections :
| Name | Club | Origin | Note |
| Domanic Akuei | Carlton | Northern Knights (NAB League) | Next Generation Academy selection (Sudanese descent) |
| Fionn O'Hara | Hawthorn | Westmeath GAA | International selection (Ireland) |
| Andy Moniz-Wakefield | Melbourne | NT Thunder (NAB League) | Next Generation Academy selection (indigenous) |
| Jack Peris | St Kilda | Sandringham Dragons (NAB League) | Next Generation Academy selection (indigenous) |
| Josiah Kyle | St Kilda | Dandenong Stingrays (NAB League) | Next Generation Academy selection (indigenous) |
| Cody Raak | Western Bulldogs | Western Jets (NAB League) | Next Generation Academy selection (indigenous) |

### 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 |
| Mitch Cox | Brisbane Lions | Williamstown | VFL | | |
| Tex Wanganeen | Essendon | Sturt | SANFL | Son of Gavin Wanganeen | |
| Nic Martin | Essendon | Subiaco | WAFL | | |
| James Tsitas | Gold Coast | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | | |
| Tom Lynch | North Melbourne | Adelaide | AFL | | |
| Jack Hayes | St Kilda | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | | |
| Jarrod Lienert | St Kilda | Port Adelaide | AFL | | |
| Paddy McCartin | Sydney | Sydney | VFL | Previously listed with St Kilda | |
| Hugh Dixon | West Coast | East Fremantle | WAFL | Previously listed with Fremantle | |
| Luke Strnadica | West Coast | East Fremantle | WAFL | Previously listed with Fremantle | |
| Patrick Naish | West Coast | Richmond | AFL | | |
| Tom Joyce | West Coast | Brisbane Lions | AFL | | |