# 2016 AFL draft

The 2016 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 2016 AFL season. Additions to each club's playing list are not allowed at any other time during the year.
The key dates for the trading and drafting periods were:
* The free agency offer period; held between 7 October and 19 October. Three further free agency periods were held for delisted players, between 1 November and 8 November, 10 November to 18 November, and 26 November to 27 November,
* The trade period; held between 10 October and 20 October,
* The 2016 national draft; held on 25 November, at the Hordern Pavilion, which included live bidding for academy and father-son selections.
* The 2017 pre-season draft; which was to be held on 28 November, but was cancelled when all clubs declined to take part, and
* The 2017 rookie draft; which was held on 28 November.

## Player movements
### Previous trades

The 2015 AFL draft included a new initiative whereby clubs could trade future picks; through this scheme, fourteen picks in the 2016 draft were traded prior to the commencement of the 2016 trade period:
| Round | Original club | New club | How acquired |
| 1 | Collingwood | Greater Western Sydney | Adam Treloar trade |
| 1 | Geelong | Greater Western Sydney | via Carlton (Lachie Henderson trade) on-traded to Greater Western Sydney for Lamb, Phillips, Plowman, Sumner |
| 1 | Melbourne | Gold Coast | Pick swap |
| 2 | Adelaide | Greater Western Sydney | Curtly Hampton trade |
| 2 | Fremantle | Gold Coast | Pick swap |
| 2 | Port Adelaide | Gold Coast | Charlie Dixon trade |
| 2 | Richmond | Gold Coast | Charlie Dixon trade |
| 2 | St Kilda | Brisbane Lions | via Collingwood (Nathan Freeman trade) on-traded to Brisbane Lions for James Aish |
| 3 | Brisbane Lions | Geelong | Jarrad Jansen and Josh Walker trade |
| 3 | North Melbourne | Brisbane Lions | Ryan Bastinac trade |
| 3 | Western Bulldogs | Carlton | Pick swap |
| 4 | Carlton | Western Bulldogs | Pick swap |
| 4 | Sydney | Western Bulldogs | Michael Talia trade |
| 5 | Greater Western Sydney | Geelong | Steve Johnson trade |

### Trades

2016 AFL trade period :
| No. | Player(s) | Traded from | Traded to | Traded for |
| 1 | Cam McCarthy | Greater Western Sydney | Fremantle | Pick 3 |
| 1 | Pick 7 | Greater Western Sydney | Fremantle | Pick 3 |
| 1 | Pick 34 | Greater Western Sydney | Fremantle | Pick 3 |
| 1 | Pick 72 | Greater Western Sydney | Fremantle | Pick 3 |
| 2 | Bradley Hill | Hawthorn | Fremantle | Pick 23 |
| 3 | Pick 2 | Brisbane Lions | Greater Western Sydney | Pick 3 |
| 3 | Pick 31 | Brisbane Lions | Greater Western Sydney | Pick 3 |
| 3 | Pick 51 | Brisbane Lions | Greater Western Sydney | Pick 16 |
| 3 | Pick 60 | Brisbane Lions | Greater Western Sydney | Pick 16 |
| 4 | Jack Steele | Greater Western Sydney | St Kilda | 2017 second round pick (St Kilda) |
| 5 | Sam Mitchell | Hawthorn | West Coast | Pick 52 |
| 5 | Pick 54 | Hawthorn | West Coast | Pick 70 |
| 5 | Pick 72 | Hawthorn | West Coast | Pick 88 |
| 6 | Tom Mitchell | Sydney | Hawthorn | Pick 14 |
| 6 | Pick 57 | Sydney | Hawthorn | Pick 52 |
| 7 | Pick 10 | St Kilda | Hawthorn | 2017 first round pick (Hawthorn) |
| 7 | Pick 10 | St Kilda | Hawthorn | Pick 23 |
| 7 | Pick 68 | St Kilda | Hawthorn | Pick 36 |
| 8 | Paul Ahern | Greater Western Sydney | North Melbourne | Pick 69 |
| 9 | Pearce Hanley | Brisbane Lions | Gold Coast | Pick 22 |
| 9 | Pick 19 | Brisbane Lions | Port Adelaide | 2017 first round pick (Port Adelaide) |
| 9 | Pick 30 | Gold Coast | Port Adelaide | Pick 67 |
| 10 | Jordan Lewis | Hawthorn | Melbourne | Pick 48 |
| 10 | Pick 57 | Hawthorn | Melbourne | Pick 48 |
| 10 | Pick 68 | Hawthorn | Melbourne | Pick 66 |
| 11 | Joel Hamling | Western Bulldogs | Fremantle | Pick 35 |
| 11 | Pick 40 | Western Bulldogs | Fremantle | Pick 43 |
| 11 | Pick 63 | Western Bulldogs | Fremantle | Pick 61 |
| 12 | Michael Hibberd | Essendon | Melbourne | Pick 29 |
| 12 | Pick 59 | Essendon | Melbourne | Pick 68 |
| 13 | Dion Prestia | Gold Coast | Richmond | Pick 6 |
| 13 | Pick 24 | Gold Coast | Richmond | 2017 second round pick (Richmond) |
| 14 | Toby Nankervis | Sydney | Richmond | Pick 46 |
| 15 | Jarrod Witts | Collingwood | Gold Coast | Pick 44 |
| 15 | Jarrod Witts | Collingwood | Gold Coast | Pick 62 |
| 16 | Pick 26 | Gold Coast | Western Bulldogs | Pick 35 |
| 16 | Pick 80 | Gold Coast | Western Bulldogs | Pick 43 |
| 17 | Nathan Hrovat | Western Bulldogs | North Melbourne | 2017 third round pick (North Melbourne) |
| 17 | 2017 third round pick (Western Bulldogs) | Western Bulldogs | North Melbourne | 2017 third round pick (North Melbourne) |
| 17 | 2017 fourth round pick (Western Bulldogs) | Western Bulldogs | North Melbourne | 2017 fourth round pick (North Melbourne) |
| 18 | Shane Kersten | Geelong | Fremantle | Pick 63 |
| 19 | Billie Smedts | Geelong | Carlton | Zach Tuohy |
| 19 | Pick 63 | Geelong | Carlton | Zach Tuohy |
| 19 | 2017 first round pick (Geelong) | Geelong | Carlton | 2017 second round pick (Carlton) |
| 20 | Josh Caddy | Geelong | Richmond | Pick 24 |
| 20 | Pick 56 | Geelong | Richmond | Pick 64 |
| 21 | Pick 31 | Greater Western Sydney | Sydney | Pick 39 |
| 21 | Pick 31 | Greater Western Sydney | Sydney | Pick 52 |
| 22 | Jarryd Lyons | Adelaide | Gold Coast | Pick 43 |
| 22 | Pick 71 | Adelaide | Gold Coast | Pick 67 |
| 23 | Pat McKenna | Greater Western Sydney | Melbourne | Pick 57 |
| 23 | Pick 51 | Greater Western Sydney | Melbourne | Pick 57 |
| 23 | Pick 69 | Greater Western Sydney | Melbourne | Pick 59 |
| 24 | Nathan Vardy | Geelong | West Coast | Pick 72 |
| 25 | Travis Cloke | Collingwood | Western Bulldogs | Pick 76 |
| 26 | James Stewart | Greater Western Sydney | Essendon | Pick 77 |
| 27 | Aaron Black | North Melbourne | Geelong | Pick 92 |
| 28 | Will Hoskin-Elliott | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | 2017 second round pick (Collingwood) |
| 29 | Jack Frost | Collingwood | Brisbane Lions | 2017 third round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| 29 | Pick 76 | Collingwood | Brisbane Lions | 2017 third round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| 29 | 2017 third round pick (Collingwood) | Collingwood | Brisbane Lions | 2017 fourth round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| 30 | Lynden Dunn | Melbourne | Collingwood | Pick 47 |
| 30 | Pick 51 | Melbourne | Collingwood | Pick 47 |
| 31 | Marley Williams | Collingwood | North Melbourne | Pick 105 |
| 32 | Koby Stevens | Western Bulldogs | St Kilda | Pick 50 |
| 32 | Pick 61 | Western Bulldogs | St Kilda | Pick 50 |
| 32 | 2017 fourth round pick (North Melbourne) | Western Bulldogs | St Kilda | 2017 fifth round pick (St Kilda) |
| 33 | Brett Deledio | Richmond | Greater Western Sydney | 2017 first round pick (Geelong) |
| 33 | Brett Deledio | Richmond | Greater Western Sydney | 2017 third round pick (Greater Western Sydney) |
| 34 | Caleb Marchbank | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | Pick 45 |
| 34 | Jarrod Pickett | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | Pick 58 |
| 34 | 2017 second round pick (Greater Western Sydney) | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | 2017 first round pick (Geelong) |
| 35 | Rhys Palmer | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | Pick 135 |
| 36 | Pick 35 | Gold Coast | Fremantle | Pick 73 |
| 36 | Pick 71 | Gold Coast | Fremantle | Pick 73 |
| 36 | 2017 fourth round pick (Gold Coast) | Gold Coast | Fremantle | 2017 second round pick (Fremantle) |
| 37 | Jaeger O'Meara | Gold Coast | Hawthorn | Pick 10 |
| 37 | Jaeger O'Meara | Gold Coast | Hawthorn | 2017 second round pick (Hawthorn) |
| 38 | Pick 9 | Port Adelaide | Sydney | Pick 14 |
| 38 | Pick 19 | Port Adelaide | Sydney | Pick 17 |
| 38 | Pick 49 | Port Adelaide | Sydney | Pick 31 |
| 39 | Pick 48 | Hawthorn | Carlton | 2017 second round pick (Greater Western Sydney) |
| 39 | Pick 66 | Hawthorn | Carlton | 2017 second round pick (Greater Western Sydney) |
| 39 | Pick 70 | Hawthorn | Carlton | 2017 second round pick (Greater Western Sydney) |

#### Note

* The numbering of the draft picks in this list may be different to the agreed draft picks at the time of the trade, due to adjustments from either the insertion of free agency compensation draft picks or clubs exiting the draft before later rounds.

### Free agency

2016 AFL free agency period signings :
| Player | Date | Free agent type | Former club | New club | Compensation |
| Ty Vickery | 10 October 2016 | Restricted | Richmond | Hawthorn | 2nd round |
| Daniel Wells | 11 October 2016 | Unrestricted | North Melbourne | Collingwood | 2nd round |
| Chris Mayne | 12 October 2016 | Unrestricted | Fremantle | Collingwood | 2nd round |
| Nathan Brown | 16 October 2016 | Restricted | Collingwood | St Kilda | None |
| James Kelly | 4 November 2016 | Delisted | Essendon | Essendon | — |
| Matt Dea | 4 November 2016 | Delisted | Essendon | Essendon | — |
| Michael Barlow | 8 November 2016 | Delisted | Fremantle | Gold Coast | — |
| Ricky Henderson | 8 November 2016 | Delisted | Adelaide | Hawthorn | — |
| Josh Green | 15 November 2016 | Delisted | Brisbane Lions | Essendon | — |

#### Note

* Due to James Kelly and Matt Dea being signed as top up players because of the 2012 Essendon supplements saga, they had to be delisted and then re-signed in order to stay on Essendon's list.

### Retirements and delistings

List of 2016 AFL player changes :
| Name | Club | Date | Notes |
| Damien Cavka | West Coast | 25 January 2016 | Retired due to ongoing foot injury, effective immediately |
| Matthew Jaensch | Adelaide | 26 February 2016 | Retired due to no longer having a passion for playing professionally |
| Shem-Kelvin Tatupu | Hawthorn | 15 March 2016 | Retired due to losing passion for the game |
| Justin Clarke | Brisbane Lions | 31 March 2016 | Retired due to ongoing concussion, effective immediately |
| Reece McKenzie | Richmond | 30 June 2016 | Retired due to mental illness, effective immediately |
| Troy Chaplin | Richmond | 19 July 2016 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Luke Goetz | Western Bulldogs | 20 July 2016 | Delisted |
| Matthew Pavlich | Fremantle | 26 July 2016 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Andrew Walker | Carlton | 2 August 2016 | Retired, effective after round 20 |
| Ted Richards | Sydney | 5 August 2016 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Michael Jamison | Carlton | 8 August 2016 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Xavier Ellis | West Coast | 9 August 2016 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Trent West | Brisbane Lions | 15 August 2016 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Adam Cooney | Essendon | 16 August 2016 | Retired, effective after round 22 |
| Daniel Merrett | Brisbane Lions | 16 August 2016 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Mathew Stokes | Essendon | 18 August 2016 | Retired, effective after round 22 |
| Brent Macaffer | Collingwood | 22 August 2016 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Alan Toovey | Collingwood | 22 August 2016 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Dane Swan | Collingwood | 23 August 2016 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Nick Dal Santo | North Melbourne | 24 August 2016 | Retired |
| Michael Firrito | North Melbourne | 24 August 2016 | Retired |
| Brent Harvey | North Melbourne | 24 August 2016 | Retired |
| Drew Petrie | North Melbourne | 24 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Jed Adcock | Western Bulldogs | 24 August 2016 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Jay Schulz | Port Adelaide | 25 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Ryan Crowley | Essendon | 27 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Matt Dea | Essendon | 27 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Nathan Grima | Essendon | 27 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Sam Grimley | Essendon | 27 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Mark Jamar | Essendon | 27 August 2016 | Delisted |
| James Kelly | Essendon | 27 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Sam Michael | Essendon | 27 August 2016 | Delisted |
| James Polkinghorne | Essendon | 27 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Jonathan Simpkin | Essendon | 27 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Cameron Wood | Carlton | 30 August 2016 | Retired |
| Matthew Dick | Carlton | 30 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Jayden Foster | Carlton | 30 August 2016 | Delisted |
| John Butcher | Port Adelaide | 30 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Sam Colquhoun | Port Adelaide | 30 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Kane Mitchell | Port Adelaide | 30 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Sean Hurley | Fremantle | 30 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Alipate Carlile | Port Adelaide | 31 August 2016 | Retired |
| Adam Marcon | Richmond | 31 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Liam McBean | Richmond | 31 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Tom Curren | St Kilda | 31 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Luke Delaney | St Kilda | 31 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Brenton Payne | St Kilda | 31 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Josh Saunders | St Kilda | 31 August 2016 | Delisted |
| Tom Keough | Gold Coast | 1 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Luke Russell | Gold Coast | 1 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Danny Stanley | Gold Coast | 1 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Seb Tape | Gold Coast | 1 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Tanner Smith | Fremantle | 2 September 2016 | Delisted |
| James Gwilt | Essendon | 2 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Nathan van Berlo | Adelaide | 5 September 2016 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Hugh Beasley | Brisbane Lions | 5 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Billy Evans | Brisbane Lions | 5 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Josh McGuinness | Brisbane Lions | 5 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Jackson Paine | Brisbane Lions | 5 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Josh Watts | Brisbane Lions | 5 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Anthony Morabito | Fremantle | 6 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Tayte Pears | Essendon | 9 September 2016 | Retired |
| Clem Smith | Carlton | 9 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Patrick McGinnity | West Coast | 12 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Jamie Bennell | West Coast | 12 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Kane Lucas | West Coast | 12 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Brant Colledge | West Coast | 12 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Alec Waterman | West Coast | 12 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Corey Adamson | West Coast | 12 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Farren Ray | North Melbourne | 14 September 2016 | Retired |
| Robin Nahas | North Melbourne | 14 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Jason Ashby | Essendon | 16 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Shaun Edwards | Essendon | 19 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Tom Wallis | Essendon | 20 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Tim Golds | Collingwood | 21 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Matthew Goodyear | Collingwood | 21 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Darrean Wyatt | Collingwood | 21 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Luke Lowden | Adelaide | 23 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Keenan Ramsey | Adelaide | 23 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Zac Bates | Geelong | 27 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Jock Cornell | Geelong | 27 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Cameron Delaney | Geelong | 27 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Padraig Lucey | Geelong | 27 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Tom Read | Geelong | 27 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Jack Grimes | Melbourne | 27 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Matt Jones | Melbourne | 27 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Dean Terlich | Melbourne | 27 September 2016 | Delisted |
| Matt de Boer | Fremantle | 4 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Josh Deluca | Fremantle | 4 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Brady Grey | Fremantle | 4 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Jack Hannath | Fremantle | 4 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Tendai Mzungu | Fremantle | 4 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Clancee Pearce | Fremantle | 4 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Corey Enright | Geelong | 5 October 2016 | Retired |
| Ben McGlynn | Sydney | 6 October 2016 | Retired |
| Tom Derickx | Sydney | 6 October 2016 | Retired |
| Kyle Galloway | Sydney | 6 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Joel Patfull | Greater Western Sydney | 12 October 2016 | Retired |
| Jimmy Bartel | Geelong | 19 October 2016 | Retired |
| Chris Dawes | Melbourne | 21 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Max King | Melbourne | 21 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Viv Michie | Melbourne | 21 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Ben Newton | Melbourne | 21 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Michael Barlow | Fremantle | 24 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Mitch Clark | Geelong | 24 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Paul Stewart | Port Adelaide | 24 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Josh Green | Brisbane Lions | 25 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Andrejs Everitt | Carlton | 25 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Andrew Gallucci | Carlton | 25 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Billy Gowers | Carlton | 25 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Jason Tutt | Carlton | 25 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Dillon Viojo-Rainbow | Carlton | 25 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Mark Whiley | Carlton | 25 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Michael Luxford | Geelong | 26 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Brad McKenzie | North Melbourne | 26 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Joel Tippett | North Melbourne | 26 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Yestin Eades | Essendon | 26 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Nick Kommer | Essendon | 26 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Alex Silvagni | Fremantle | 26 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Xavier Richards | Sydney | 27 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Jack Hiscox | Sydney | 27 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Abe Davis | Sydney | 27 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Nick Malceski | Gold Coast | 27 October 2016 | Retired |
| Corey Gault | Collingwood | 28 October 2016 | Retired |
| Jack Fitzpatrick | Hawthorn | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Lachlan Langford | Hawthorn | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Angus Litherland | Hawthorn | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Jermaine Miller-Lewis | Hawthorn | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Matt Spangher | Hawthorn | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Zac Webster | Hawthorn | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Alex Woodward | Hawthorn | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Keegan Brooksby | Gold Coast | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Clay Cameron | Gold Coast | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Cameron Loersch | Gold Coast | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Henry Schade | Gold Coast | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Courtenay Dempsey | Essendon | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Will Hams | Essendon | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Gach Nyuon | Essendon | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Will Minson | Western Bulldogs | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Josh Prudden | Western Bulldogs | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Tom Lee | St Kilda | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Brodie Murdoch | St Kilda | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Cameron Shenton | St Kilda | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Eli Templeton | St Kilda | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Andrew Moore | Richmond | 28 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Cam O'Shea | Port Adelaide | 30 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Mitch Grigg | Adelaide | 31 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Ricky Henderson | Adelaide | 31 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Sam Fisher | St Kilda | 31 October 2016 | Retired |
| Mitch Brown | West Coast | 31 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Fraser McInnes | West Coast | 31 October 2016 | Delisted |
| Jake Barrett | Greater Western Sydney | 2 November 2016 | Delisted |
| Jarrod Garlett | Gold Coast | 8 November 2016 | Delisted |
| Shaun McKernan | Essendon | 9 November 2016 | Delisted |
| Sam Shaw | Adelaide | 9 November 2016 | Retired due to ongoing concussion |
| Jaden McGrath | Brisbane Lions | 9 November 2016 | Retired due to losing passion for the game |
| Jonathon Marsh | Collingwood | 9 November 2016 | Retired |

## 2016 national draft

The Brisbane Lions received a priority pick at the end of the first round (pick 19) after a request by the club to the AFL commission was accepted. It was the first time a priority pick was given to a club since the rules regarding priority selections were changed in 2012. This pick was later on-traded to Port Adelaide as part of the Pearce Hanley trade to Gold Coast, before the Sydney Swans ended up with it by the trade deadline.
A change was made to the rules concerning academy and father-son selections which allowed clubs to begin the draft with only as many draft picks as it had empty positions on its playing list. This was intended to end the practice which had taken place the previous year in which clubs with academies had traded down the draft order to accumulate a large number of mid- and low-range draft picks specifically to use on academy bids.
    Final draft order
| ^ | 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 |
| Round | Pick | Player | Drafted to | Recruited from | League | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Andrew McGrath | Essendon | Sandringham Dragons | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 2 | Tim Taranto | Greater Western Sydney | Sandringham Dragons | TAC Cup | Traded from Brisbane Lions |
| 1 | 3 | Hugh McCluggage | Brisbane Lions | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | Traded from Greater Western Sydney; received from Fremantle |
| 1 | 4 | Ben Ainsworth | Gold Coast | Gippsland Power | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 5 | Will Setterfield | Greater Western Sydney | Sandringham Dragons | TAC Cup | Academy player, Carlton's bid matched with picks 15 and 37. |
| 1 | 6 | Sam Petrevski-Seton | Carlton | Claremont | WAFL | |
| 1 | 7 | Jack Scrimshaw | Gold Coast | Sandringham Dragons | TAC Cup | Traded from Richmond |
| 1 | 8 | Griffin Logue | Fremantle | Swan Districts | WAFL | Traded from Greater Western Sydney; received from Collingwood |
| 1 | 9 | Will Brodie | Gold Coast | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | Traded from Melbourne |
| 1 | 10 | Jack Bowes | Gold Coast | Cairns | AFL Cairns | Academy player, Sydney's bid matched with pick 11. |
| 1 | 11 | Oliver Florent | Sydney | Sandringham Dragons | TAC Cup | Traded from Port Adelaide |
| 1 | 12 | Jy Simpkin | North Melbourne | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 13 | Daniel Venables | West Coast | Western Jets | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 14 | Harry Perryman | Greater Western Sydney | Collingullie-Glenfield Park | RFNL | Academy player, Adelaide's bid matched with picks 38, 44 and 51. |
| 1 | 15 | Jordan Gallucci | Adelaide | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 16 | Todd Marshall | Port Adelaide | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | Traded from Sydney; received from Hawthorn |
| 1 | 17 | Jarrod Berry | Brisbane Lions | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | Traded from Greater Western Sydney; received from Carlton; received from Geelong |
| 1 | 18 | Sam Powell-Pepper | Port Adelaide | East Perth | WAFL | Traded from Sydney |
| 1 | 19 | Tim English | Western Bulldogs | South Fremantle | WAFL | |
| 1 | 20 | Isaac Cumming | Greater Western Sydney | North Broken Hill | BHFL | Academy player, Sydney's bid matched with picks 52, 54, 55 and 56. |
| Priority | 21 | Will Hayward | Sydney | North Adelaide | SANFL | Traded from Port Adelaide; received from Brisbane Lions |
| 2 | 22 | Jordan Ridley | Essendon | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | |
| 2 | 23 | Alex Witherden | Brisbane Lions | Geelong Falcons | TAC Cup | |
| 2 | 24 | Cedric Cox | Brisbane Lions | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Fremantle |
| 2 | 25 | Ben Long | St Kilda | NT Thunder | NEAFL | Traded from Hawthorn; received from Fremantle; free agency compensation pick (Mayne) |
| 2 | 26 | Brandan Parfitt | Geelong | NT Thunder | NEAFL | Traded from Richmond; received from Gold Coast |
| 2 | 27 | Zac Fisher | Carlton | Perth | WAFL | |
| 2 | 28 | Patrick Lipinski | Western Bulldogs | Northern Knights | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Richmond |
| 2 | 29 | Shai Bolton | Richmond | South Fremantle | WAFL | Free agency compensation pick (Vickery) |
| 2 | 30 | Sam McLarty | Collingwood | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | |
| 2 | 31 | Josh Begley | Essendon | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | Traded from Melbourne |
| 2 | 32 | Joe Atley | Port Adelaide | Bendigo Pioneers | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Port Adelaide |
| 2 | 33 | Willem Drew | Port Adelaide | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | Traded from Sydney; received from Greater Western Sydney; received from Brisbane Lions; received from Collingwood; received from St Kilda |
| 2 | 34 | Declan Watson | North Melbourne | Aspley | NEAFL | Academy eligible, but the Brisbane Lions did not match the bid |
| 2 | 35 | Callum Brown | Collingwood | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | Father–son rule selection (son of Gavin Brown); North Melbourne's bid matched with pick 44. |
| 2 | 36 | Josh Williams | North Melbourne | Surfers Paradise | QAFL | Free agency compensation pick (Wells) |
| 2 | 37 | Josh Rotham | West Coast | West Perth | WAFL | |
| 2 | 38 | Sean Darcy | Fremantle | Geelong Falcons | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast, received from Western Bulldogs; received from Fremantle; received from Greater Western Sydney; received from Adelaide |
| 2 | 39 | Josh Battle | St Kilda | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | Traded from Hawthorn |
| 2 | 40 | Tom Stewart | Geelong | Geelong | VFL | |
| 2 | 41 | Brennan Cox | Fremantle | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | Traded from Western Bulldogs |
| 3 | 42 | Kobe Mutch | Essendon | Bendigo Pioneers | TAC Cup | Academy eligible, but Greater Western Sydney did not match the bid |
| 3 | 43 | Esava Ratugolea | Geelong | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | Traded from Brisbane Lions |
| 3 | 44 | Myles Poholke | Adelaide | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Western Bulldogs; received from Fremantle |
| 3 | 45 | Jack Maibaum | Sydney | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | Traded from Richmond |
| 3 | 46 | Mitch Hannan | Melbourne | Footscray | VFL | Traded from Collingwood |
| 3 | 47 | Harrison Macreadie | Carlton | Henty | HFL | Academy eligible, but Greater Western Sydney did not match the bid; traded from Hawthorn; received from Melbourne |
| 3 | 48 | Darcy Cameron | Sydney | Claremont | WAFL | Traded from Port Adelaide |
| 3 | 49 | Lewis Young | Western Bulldogs | Sturt | SANFL | Traded from St Kilda |
| 3 | 50 | Kayle Kirby | Collingwood | Bendigo Pioneers | TAC Cup | Traded from Melbourne; received from Greater Western Sydney; received from Brisbane Lions; received from North Melbourne |
| 3 | 51 | Elliott Himmelberg | Adelaide | Redland | NEAFL | |
| 3 | 52 | Willie Rioli | West Coast | Glenelg | SANFL | Traded from Hawthorn |
| 3 | 53 | Jack Graham | Richmond | North Adelaide | SANFL | Traded from Geelong |
| 4 | 54 | Lachlan Tiziani | Greater Western Sydney | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | Academy player, traded from Melbourne; received from Essendon |
| 4 | 55 | Jacob Allison | Brisbane Lions | Aspley | NEAFL | Academy player |
| 4 | 56 | Ed Phillips | St Kilda | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | Traded from Western Bulldogs, received from Fremantle |
| 4 | 57 | Josh Daicos | Collingwood | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | Father–son rule selection (son of Peter Daicos); traded from Gold Coast |
| 4 | 58 | Matt de Boer | Greater Western Sydney | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 4 | 59 | Cameron Polson | Carlton | Sandringham Dragons | TAC Cup | Traded from Geelong; received from Fremantle; received from Western Bulldogs; received from Carlton |
| 4 | 60 | Quinton Narkle | Geelong | Perth | WAFL | Traded from Richmond |
| 4 | 61 | Tom Williamson | Carlton | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | Traded from Hawthorn; received from Melbourne |
| 4 | 62 | Matthew Signorello | Adelaide | Northern Knights | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Port Adelaide |
| 4 | 63 | Dylan Clarke | Essendon | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | Traded from Melbourne; received Hawthorn; received from St Kilda |
| 4 | 64 | Dion Johnstone | Melbourne | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | Traded from Greater Western Sydney; received from North Melbourne |
| 4 | 65 | Pat Kerr | Carlton | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | Traded from Hawthorn; received from West Coast |
| 4 | 66 | Luke Ryan | Fremantle | Coburg | VFL | Traded from Gold Coast, received from Adelaide |
| 4 | 67 | Brad Scheer | Gold Coast | Palm Beach Currumbin | QAFL | Academy player |
| 4 | 68 | Timm House | Geelong | Geelong | VFL | Traded from West Coast; received from Hawthorn |
| 4 | 69 | Ryan Abbott | Geelong | Grovedale | GFL | |
| 4 | 70 | Fergus Greene | Western Bulldogs | Bendigo Pioneers | TAC Cup | Traded from Sydney |
| 5 | 71 | Corey Lyons | Brisbane Lions | Sandringham Dragons | TAC Cup | Traded from Collingwood, received from Western Bulldogs |
| 5 | 72 | Ryan Garthwaite | Richmond | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | Academy eligible, but Greater Western Sydney did not match the bid |
| 5 | 73 | Nick Larkey | North Melbourne | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | |
| 5 | 74 | Harry Morrison | Hawthorn | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | Traded from West Coast |
| 5 | 75 | Ben Davis | Adelaide | UNSW | Sydney AFL | Academy eligible, but Sydney did not match the bid |
| 5 | 76 | Mitchell Lewis | Hawthorn | Calder Cannons | TAC Cup | |
| 6 | 77 | Jake Waterman | West Coast | Claremont | WAFL | Father–son rule selection (son of Chris Waterman) |

### Notes

* Free agency compensation picks are additional selections awarded to teams based on their net loss of players during the free agency trade period.
* Academy players are local zone selections available to the four New South Wales and Queensland clubs. Both academy and father-son selections are subject to a bidding process, where the club with the family or academy connection must match any opposition club's bid with their next available selection.

### Rookie elevations

Clubs were able to promote any player who was listed on their rookie list in 2016 to their 2017 primary playing list prior to the draft.
| Player | Club |
| Reilly O'Brien | Adelaide |
| Archie Smith | Brisbane Lions |
| Ciaran Byrne | Carlton |
| Lachlan Keeffe | Collingwood |
| Josh Smith | Collingwood |
| Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti | Essendon |
| Conor McKenna | Essendon |
| Tom Ruggles | Geelong |
| Jesse Joyce | Gold Coast |
| Kade Stewart | Hawthorn |
| Josh Wagner | Melbourne |
| Majak Daw | North Melbourne |
| Braydon Preuss | North Melbourne |
| Nathan Krakouer | Port Adelaide |
| Jayden Short | Richmond |
| Jason Holmes | St Kilda |
| Tom Papley | Sydney |
| Nic Newman | Sydney |
| Harrison Marsh | Sydney |
| Jordan Foote | Sydney |

## 2017 rookie draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Drafted to | Recruited from | League | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Sam Draper | Essendon | South Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 1 | 2 | Jake Barrett | Brisbane Lions | Greater Western Sydney | AFL | |
| 1 | 3 | Taylin Duman | Fremantle | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 4 | Keegan Brooksby | Gold Coast | Gold Coast | AFL | |
| 1 | 5 | Kym LeBois | Carlton | North Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 1 | 6 | Tyson Stengle | Richmond | Woodville-West Torrens | SANFL | |
| 1 | 7 | Mitch McCarthy | Collingwood | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 8 | Lachlan Filipovic | Melbourne | Sandringham Dragons | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 9 | Peter Ladhams | Port Adelaide | Norwood | SANFL | |
| 1 | 10 | Rowan Marshall | St Kilda | North Ballarat | VFL | |
| 1 | 11 | Cameron Zurhaar | North Melbourne | East Fremantle | WAFL | |
| 1 | 12 | Thomas Gorter | West Coast | East Perth | WAFL | |
| 1 | 13 | Sam Shaw | Adelaide | Adelaide | AFL | Shaw retired on 9 November 2016, but was retained on the club's 2017 list to help with medical costs for concussion treatment. |
| 1 | 14 | Oliver Hanrahan | Hawthorn | St Kevin's College | APS | |
| 1 | 15 | Tendai Mzungu | Greater Western Sydney | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 1 | 16 | Jack Henry | Geelong | Geelong Falcons | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 17 | Ben Ronke | Sydney | Calder Cannons | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 18 | Nathan Mullenger-McHugh | Western Bulldogs | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | |
| 2 | 19 | Shaun McKernan | Essendon | Essendon | AFL | |
| 2 | 20 | Mitch Hinge | Brisbane Lions | Glenelg | SANFL | |
| 2 | 21 | Luke Strnadica | Fremantle | East Fremantle | WAFL | |
| 2 | 22 | Cameron Loersch | Gold Coast | Gold Coast | AFL | |
| 2 | 23 | Alex Silvagni | Carlton | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 2 | 24 | Henry Schade | Collingwood | Gold Coast | AFL | |
| 2 | 25 | Tim Smith | Melbourne | Casey | VFL | |
| 2 | 26 | Brett Eddy | Port Adelaide | South Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 2 | 27 | Passed | St Kilda | | | |
| 2 | 28 | Oscar Junker | North Melbourne | Western Jets | TAC Cup | |
| 2 | 29 | Drew Petrie | West Coast | North Melbourne | AFL | |
| 2 | 30 | Passed | Adelaide | | | |
| 2 | 31 | Jack Fitzpatrick | Hawthorn | Hawthorn | AFL | |
| 2 | 32 | Joel Patfull | Greater Western Sydney | Greater Western Sydney | AFL | Patfull retired on 12 October 2016, but was retained on GWS's 2017 list due to Total Player Payment obligations. |
| 2 | 33 | Zach Guthrie | Geelong | Calder Cannons | TAC Cup | |
| 2 | 34 | Robbie Fox | Sydney | Coburg | VFL | |
| 2 | 35 | Josh Prudden | Western Bulldogs | Western Bulldogs | AFL | |
| 3 | 36 | Yestin Eades | Essendon | Essendon | AFL | |
| 3 | 37 | Oscar McInerney | Brisbane Lions | Casey | VFL | |
| 3 | 38 | Brady Grey | Fremantle | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 3 | 39 | Andrew Gallucci | Carlton | Carlton | AFL | |
| 3 | 40 | Liam Mackie | Collingwood | Glenelg | SANFL | |
| 3 | 41 | Declan Keilty | Melbourne | Casey | VFL | |
| 3 | 42 | Jarrod Lienert | Port Adelaide | Sturt | SANFL | |
| 3 | 43 | Matthew Taylor | North Melbourne | Perth | WAFL | |
| 3 | 44 | Fraser McInnes | West Coast | West Coast | AFL | |
| 3 | 45 | Ben Jarman | Adelaide | North Adelaide | SANFL | Father–son rule selection (son of Darren Jarman) |
| 3 | 46 | James Cousins | Hawthorn | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | |
| 3 | 47 | Passed | Greater Western Sydney | | | |
| 3 | 48 | Jamaine Jones | Geelong | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | |
| 3 | 49 | Shaun Edwards | Sydney | Essendon | AFL | |
| 4 | 50 | Josh Deluca | Fremantle | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 4 | 51 | Max Lynch | Collingwood | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | |
| 4 | 52 | Passed | Greater Western Sydney | | | |
| 4 | 53 | Sam Simpson | Geelong | Geelong Falcons | TAC Cup | Father–son rule selection (son of Sean Simpson) |
| 4 | 54 | Toby Pink | Sydney | Glenelg | SANFL | |
| 5 | 55 | Passed | Sydney | | | |

### Category B rookie selections

During the trade period, clubs could nominate category B rookies to join their club.
| Player | Club | Origin | Note |
| Matt Eagles | Brisbane Lions | North Ballarat | Winner of The Recruit |
| Blake Grewar | Brisbane Lions | Redland | Queensland zone selection |
| Ciarán Sheehan | Carlton | Cork GAA, Carlton | International selection (Ireland) |
| Ben McNiece | Essendon | Essendon (VFL) | Next Generation Academy zone selection (mother born in India) |
| Mark O'Connor | Geelong | Kerry GAA | International selection (Ireland) |
| Max Spencer | Gold Coast | Palm Beach Currumbin | Queensland zone selection |
| Jake Stein | Greater Western Sydney | Athletics | 3-year non-registered player (athletics) |
| Zach Sproule | Greater Western Sydney | Murray Bushrangers | NSW zone selection |
| Conor Nash | Hawthorn | Meath GAA | International selection (Ireland) |
| Corey Maynard | Melbourne | Townsville Crocodiles (NBL) | 3-year non-registered player (basketball) |
| Emmanuel Irra | Port Adelaide | South Adelaide | Next Generation Academy zone selection (born in Uganda) |
| Ray Connellan | St Kilda | Westmeath GAA | International selection (Ireland) |
| Darragh Joyce | St Kilda | Kilkenny GAA | International selection (Ireland) |
| Sam Fisher | Sydney | Canberra | NSW zone selection |
| Tarir Bayok | West Coast | East Perth | Next Generation Academy zone selection (born in Sudan) |
| Francis Watson | West Coast | Claremont | Next Generation Academy zone selection (Indigenous) |
| Tristan Tweedie | Western Bulldogs | Eastern Ranges | Next Generation Academy zone selection (Indigenous) |