# 2015 AFL draft

The 2015 Australian Football League draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) can trade and recruit players following the completion of the 2015 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:
* Academy players to be nominated by 15 September. With a bidding process held on 24 November along with father–son selections during the national draft.
* The free agency offer period; held between 9 October and 18 October. Three further free agency periods are held for delisted players, between 31 October and 9 November, 11 November to 20 November, and 25 November to 26 November.
* The trade period; held between 12 October and 22 October.
* The 2015 national draft; held on 24 November at the Adelaide Convention Centre, which, for the first time, included live bidding for academy and father-son selections.
* The 2016 pre-season draft; which was to be held on 27 November, but was cancelled when all clubs declined to take part, and
* The 2016 rookie draft; which was held on 27 November.
Additionally, following the guilty verdicts handed down to 34 past and present Essendon players in January 2016 for doping violations, Essendon was given the opportunity to recruit top-up players between January and March 2016.

## Player movements
### Free agency

The initial list of free agents, published in March 2015, consisted of 74 unrestricted and restricted free agents, however, 35 of those players re-signed and 15 retired during or after the home-and-away season.
2015 AFL free agency period signings :
| Player | Date | Free agent type | Former club | New club | Compensation |
| Matt Suckling | 12 October 2015 | Unrestricted | Hawthorn | Western Bulldogs | End of 2nd round |
| Scott Selwood | 12 October 2015 | Restricted | West Coast | Geelong | 2nd round |
| Matthew Leuenberger | 15 October 2015 | Restricted | Brisbane Lions | Essendon | End of 2nd round |
| Dawson Simpson | 16 October 2015 | Unrestricted | Geelong | Greater Western Sydney | None |
| Andrew Moore | 6 November 2015 | Delisted | Port Adelaide | Richmond | None |
| Jarrad Grant | 6 November 2015 | Delisted | Western Bulldogs | Gold Coast | None |
| Daniel Gorringe | 9 November 2015 | Delisted | Gold Coast | Carlton | None |
| Matthew Wright | 26 November 2015 | Delisted | Adelaide | Carlton | None |

### Trades

For the first time, clubs were allowed to trade future selections from the next year's draft as well as the current draft. Geelong became the first AFL club to trade a future draft pick on 14 October 2015 when they traded their 2016 first round pick to Carlton for Lachie Henderson.
2015 AFL trade period :
| # | Player(s) | Traded from | Traded to | Traded for |
| 1 | Patrick Dangerfield | Adelaide | Geelong | Dean Gore |
| 1 | Patrick Dangerfield | Adelaide | Geelong | Pick 9 |
| 1 | Pick 50 | Adelaide | Geelong | Pick 28 |
| 2 | Jack Redden | Brisbane Lions | West Coast | Pick 17 |
| 3 | Lachie Henderson | Carlton | Geelong | 2016 first round pick (Geelong) |
| 4 | Harley Bennell | Gold Coast | Fremantle | Pick 16 |
| 4 | Pick 22 | Gold Coast | Fremantle | Pick 35 |
| 5 | Lewis Jetta | Sydney | West Coast | Callum Sinclair |
| 6 | Jake Melksham | Essendon | Melbourne | Pick 25 |
| 7 | Jed Anderson | Hawthorn | North Melbourne | Pick 15 |
| 7 | Pick 38 | Hawthorn | North Melbourne | Pick 15 |
| 7 | Pick 40 | Hawthorn | North Melbourne | Pick 55 |
| 8 | Curtly Hampton | Greater Western Sydney | Adelaide | 2016 second round pick (Adelaide) |
| 9 | Jacob Townsend | Greater Western Sydney | Richmond | Pick 70 |
| 9 | Pick 120 | Greater Western Sydney | Richmond | Pick 70 |
| 10 | Tom Bell | Carlton | Brisbane Lions | Pick 21 |
| 10 | Pick 41 | Carlton | Brisbane Lions | Pick 60 |
| 11 | Josh Walker | Geelong | Brisbane Lions | 2016 third round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| 11 | Jarrad Jansen | Geelong | Brisbane Lions | 2016 third round pick (Brisbane Lions) |
| 12 | Zac Smith | Gold Coast | Geelong | Pick 49 |
| 12 | Zac Smith | Gold Coast | Geelong | Pick 53 |
| 13 | Daniel Currie | North Melbourne | Gold Coast | Pick 53 |
| 14 | Steve Johnson | Geelong | Greater Western Sydney | 2016 fifth round pick (Greater Western Sydney) |
| 15 | Jonathan Giles | Essendon | West Coast | Pick 57 |
| 15 | Pick 62 | Essendon | West Coast | Pick 57 |
| 16 | Paul Seedsman | Collingwood | Adelaide | Pick 32 |
| 16 | Jeremy Howe | Melbourne | Collingwood | Ben Kennedy |
| 16 | Pick 68 | Port Adelaide | Collingwood | Paul Seedsman |
| 16 | Pick 29 | Port Adelaide | Melbourne | Jimmy Toumpas |
| 16 | Pick 50 | Port Adelaide | Melbourne | Jimmy Toumpas |
| 16 | Ben Kennedy | Collingwood | Melbourne | Jeremy Howe |
| 16 | Jimmy Toumpas | Melbourne | Port Adelaide | Pick 29 |
| 16 | Jimmy Toumpas | Melbourne | Port Adelaide | Pick 50 |
| 16 | Pick 32 | Adelaide | Port Adelaide | Pick 68 |
| 17 | Nathan Freeman | Collingwood | St Kilda | 2016 second round pick (St Kilda) |
| 17 | Pick 68 | Collingwood | St Kilda | Pick 63 |
| 18 | Charlie Dixon | Gold Coast | Port Adelaide | Pick 10 |
| 18 | Pick 49 | Gold Coast | Port Adelaide | 2016 second round pick (Port Adelaide) |
| 18 | Pick 19 | Gold Coast | Richmond | Pick 31 |
| 18 | Pick 19 | Gold Coast | Richmond | 2016 second round pick (Richmond) |
| 19 | Jake Carlisle | Essendon | St Kilda | Pick 5 |
| 19 | Pick 14 | Sydney | St Kilda | Pick 24 |
| 19 | Craig Bird | Sydney | Essendon | Pick 23 |
| 19 | Craig Bird | Sydney | Essendon | Pick 44 |
| 19 | Pick 5 | St Kilda | Essendon | Jake Carlisle |
| 19 | Pick 24 | St Kilda | Essendon | Jake Carlisle |
| 19 | Pick 23 | Essendon | Sydney | Craig Bird |
| 19 | Pick 44 | Essendon | Sydney | Pick 14 |
| 20 | Pick 3 | Gold Coast | Melbourne | Pick 6 |
| 20 | Pick 10 | Gold Coast | Melbourne | Pick 29 |
| 20 | Pick 43 | Gold Coast | Melbourne | 2016 first round pick (Melbourne) |
| 21 | Matt Rosa | West Coast | Gold Coast | Pick 31 |
| 22 | Sam Kerridge | Adelaide | Carlton | Troy Menzel |
| 22 | Pick 28 | Adelaide | Carlton | Troy Menzel |
| 23 | Jed Lamb | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | Pick 28 |
| 23 | Andrew Phillips | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | Pick 77 |
| 23 | Lachie Plowman | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | Pick 95 |
| 23 | Liam Sumner | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | 2016 first round pick (Geelong) |
| 23 | Pick 8 | Greater Western Sydney | Carlton | 2016 first round pick (Geelong) |
| 24 | Adam Treloar | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | Pick 7 |
| 24 | Adam Treloar | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | Pick 65 |
| 24 | Pick 28 | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | 2016 first round pick (Collingwood) |
| 25 | Jack Fitzpatrick | Melbourne | Hawthorn | Pick 94 |
| 26 | Tomas Bugg | Greater Western Sydney | Melbourne | Pick 10 |
| 26 | Tomas Bugg | Greater Western Sydney | Melbourne | Pick 43 |
| 26 | Pick 7 | Greater Western Sydney | Melbourne | Pick 64 |
| 27 | Pick 55 | Hawthorn | Greater Western Sydney | Pick 48 |
| 27 | Pick 58 | Hawthorn | Greater Western Sydney | Pick 48 |
| 28 | James Aish | Brisbane Lions | Collingwood | Pick 26 |
| 28 | James Aish | Brisbane Lions | Collingwood | 2016 second round pick (St Kilda) |
| 28 | Pick 28 | Collingwood | North Melbourne | Pick 34 |
| 28 | Pick 47 | Collingwood | North Melbourne | Pick 53 |
| 28 | Ryan Bastinac | North Melbourne | Brisbane Lions | Pick 17 |
| 28 | Pick 38 | North Melbourne | Brisbane Lions | Pick 17 |
| 28 | Pick 40 | North Melbourne | Brisbane Lions | Pick 26 |
| 28 | 2016 third round pick | North Melbourne | Brisbane Lions | Pick 26 |
| 29 | Pick 23 | Sydney | West Coast | Pick 36 |
| 29 | Pick 23 | Sydney | West Coast | Pick 37 |
| 30 | Pick 11 | Western Bulldogs | Carlton | Pick 20 |
| 30 | 2016 third round pick | Western Bulldogs | Carlton | Pick 21 |
| 31 | Chris Yarran | Carlton | Richmond | Pick 19 |
| 32 | Pick 27 | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | Pick 34 |
| 32 | Pick 66 | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | Pick 34 |
| 32 | Pick 77 | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | Pick 53 |
| 32 | Pick 84 | Greater Western Sydney | Collingwood | Pick 63 |
| 33 | Michael Talia | Western Bulldogs | Sydney | 2016 fourth round pick (Sydney) |
| 33 | Pick 69 | Western Bulldogs | Sydney | 2016 fourth round pick (Sydney) |
| 34 | Pick 35 | Gold Coast | Fremantle | Pick 56 |
| 34 | Pick 61 | Gold Coast | Fremantle | 2016 second round pick (Fremantle) |

#### Note

* The numbering of the draft picks in this list may be different from 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.

### Retirements and delistings

List of 2015 AFL player changes :
| Name | Club | Date | Notes |
| Daniel Flynn | Port Adelaide | 30 January 2015 | Quit, returned to Ireland |
| Beau Waters | West Coast | 19 February 2015 | Retired due to ongoing injury, effective immediately |
| Timmy Sumner | Gold Coast | 8 April 2015 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Colin Sylvia | Fremantle | 28 April 2015 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Brad Hartman | Geelong | 1 May 2015 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Brent Reilly | Adelaide | 13 May 2015 | Retired due to head injury, effective immediately |
| Kane Cornes | Port Adelaide | 14 May 2015 | Retired, effective after round 8 |
| James Toohey | Geelong | 14 May 2015 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Chris Judd | Carlton | 9 June 2015 | Retired due to knee injury, effective immediately |
| Matt Maguire | Brisbane Lions | 23 June 2015 | Retired due to ongoing concussion, effective immediately |
| Nathan Grima | North Melbourne | 8 July 2015 | Retired due to back injury, effective immediately |
| Hamish McIntosh | Geelong | 29 July 2015 | Retired due to ongoing injury, effective immediately |
| Leigh Adams | North Melbourne | 1 August 2015 | Retired due to ongoing concussion, effective immediately |
| Lachlan Keeffe | Collingwood | 10 August 2015 | Delisted due to testing positive to a banned substance |
| Josh Thomas | Collingwood | 10 August 2015 | Delisted due to testing positive to a banned substance |
| Nathan Foley | Richmond | 13 August 2015 | Retired due to ongoing injury, effective immediately |
| Chris Newman | Richmond | 18 August 2015 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Rhyce Shaw | Sydney | 20 August 2015 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Jed Adcock | Brisbane Lions | 20 August 2015 | Delisted |
| Jared Rivers | Geelong | 24 August 2015 | Retired due to knee injury, effective immediately |
| Sam Siggins | Adelaide | 24 August 2015 | Delisted, left club for personal reasons |
| Adam Schneider | St Kilda | 25 August 2015 | Retired, effective after round 22 |
| Paul Chapman | Essendon | 25 August 2015 | Retired, effective after round 22 |
| Brent Staker | Brisbane Lions | 26 August 2015 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Chris Knights | Richmond | 27 August 2015 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Andrew Raines | Gold Coast | 28 August 2015 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Sam Blease | Geelong | 31 August 2015 | Retired due to head injury, effective immediately |
| Andrew Carrazzo | Carlton | 1 September 2015 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Mathew Stokes | Geelong | 1 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Daniel Cross | Melbourne | 2 September 2015 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Greg Broughton | Gold Coast | 2 September 2015 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| James Kelly | Geelong | 2 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Ricky Petterd | Richmond | 3 September 2015 | Retired due to foot injury, effective immediately |
| Luke McGuane | Brisbane Lions | 3 September 2015 | Retired due to knee injury, effective immediately |
| David Ellard | Carlton | 4 September 2015 | Retired, effective at the end of the season |
| Dustin Fletcher | Essendon | 4 September 2015 | Retired, effective immediately |
| Steve Johnson | Geelong | 4 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Jason Winderlich | Essendon | 6 September 2015 | Retired |
| Josh Hall | Gold Coast | 8 September 2015 | Quit, signed to play rugby league |
| Tyrone Downie | Gold Coast | 8 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Jarred Ellis | Gold Coast | 8 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Louis Herbert | Gold Coast | 8 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Mark Jamar | Melbourne | 11 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Tony Armstrong | Collingwood | 14 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Sam Dwyer | Collingwood | 14 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Michael Manteit | Collingwood | 14 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Clinton Young | Collingwood | 14 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Jordon Bourke | Brisbane Lions | 14 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Mitch Golby | Brisbane Lions | 14 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Ayce Cordy | Western Bulldogs | 15 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Sam Darley | Western Bulldogs | 15 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Matt Fuller | Western Bulldogs | 15 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Brett Goodes | Western Bulldogs | 15 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Jordan Kelly | Western Bulldogs | 15 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Daniel Pearce | Western Bulldogs | 15 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Matthew Arnot | Richmond | 15 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Matthew McDonough | Richmond | 15 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Tom Logan | Port Adelaide | 17 September 2015 | Retired |
| Mitch Harvey | Port Adelaide | 17 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Jarrad Redden | Port Adelaide | 17 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Sam Russell | Port Adelaide | 17 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Mason Shaw | Port Adelaide | 17 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Johann Wagner | Port Adelaide | 17 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Rohan Bail | Melbourne | 18 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Jack Fitzpatrick | Melbourne | 18 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Jordie McKenzie | Melbourne | 18 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Aidan Riley | Melbourne | 18 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Cameron Giles | Carlton | 18 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Blaine Johnson | Carlton | 18 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Fraser Russell | Carlton | 18 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Matthew Watson | Carlton | 18 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Adam Goodes | Sydney | 19 September 2015 | Retired |
| Daniel Markworth | St Kilda | 22 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Tom Simpkin | St Kilda | 22 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Arryn Siposs | St Kilda | 22 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Spencer White | St Kilda | 22 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Patrick Karnezis | Collingwood | 22 September 2015 | Retired |
| Kurt Aylett | Essendon | 22 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Lauchlan Dalgleish | Essendon | 22 September 2015 | Delisted |
| James Podsiadly | Adelaide | 25 September 2015 | Retired |
| Scott McMahon | North Melbourne | 29 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Eric Wallace | North Melbourne | 29 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Max Warren | North Melbourne | 29 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Luke McPharlin | Fremantle | 30 September 2015 | Retired |
| Brodie Martin | Adelaide | 30 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Jack Osborn | Adelaide | 30 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Anthony Wilson | Adelaide | 30 September 2015 | Delisted |
| Brian Lake | Hawthorn | 6 October 2015 | Retired |
| David Hale | Hawthorn | 6 October 2015 | Retired |
| Will Maginness | West Coast | 6 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Dylan Main | West Coast | 6 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Rowen Powell | West Coast | 6 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Paul Duffield | Fremantle | 8 October 2015 | Retired |
| Jacob Ballard | Fremantle | 8 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Ryan Crowley | Fremantle | 8 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Josh Deluca | Fremantle | 8 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Max Duffy | Fremantle | 8 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Craig Moller | Fremantle | 8 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Sam Grimley | Hawthorn | 8 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Jared Hardisty | Hawthorn | 8 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Alex Woodward | Hawthorn | 8 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Tom Vandeleur | Fremantle | 9 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Mike Pyke | Sydney | 16 October 2015 | Retired |
| Jarrad Grant | Western Bulldogs | 23 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Andrew Moore | Port Adelaide | 23 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Zac O'Brien | Brisbane Lions | 26 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Jackson Paine | Brisbane Lions | 26 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Alex Browne | Essendon | 27 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Elliott Kavanagh | Essendon | 27 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Matthew Wright | Adelaide | 28 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Matt Thomas | Richmond | 28 October 2015 | Retired |
| Matt Dea | Richmond | 28 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Nathan Gordon | Richmond | 28 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Tom Fields | Carlton | 28 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Nick Holman | Carlton | 28 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Brad Walsh | Carlton | 28 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Robert Warnock | Carlton | 28 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Kane Mitchell | Port Adelaide | 28 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Majak Daw | North Melbourne | 29 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Kieran Harper | North Melbourne | 29 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Josh Glenn | Gold Coast | 29 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Daniel Gorringe | Gold Coast | 29 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Danny Stanley | Gold Coast | 29 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Farren Ray | St Kilda | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Ahmed Saad | St Kilda | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Josh Saunders | St Kilda | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Ariel Steinberg | Essendon | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Harrison Marsh | Sydney | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Sean McLaren | Sydney | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Lloyd Perris | Sydney | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Jonathan Simpkin | Hawthorn | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Dylan Addison | Greater Western Sydney | 30 October 2015 | Retired |
| Tim Golds | Greater Western Sydney | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Sam Schulz | Greater Western Sydney | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Anthony Morabito | Fremantle | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Brant Colledge | West Coast | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Murray Newman | West Coast | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Simon Tunbridge | West Coast | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Alec Waterman | West Coast | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Brenden Abbott | Collingwood | 30 October 2015 | Delisted |
| Andrew Boston | Gold Coast | 2 November 2015 | Retired |
| Nick O'Brien | Essendon | 5 November 2015 | Delisted |
| Will Hams | Essendon | 5 November 2015 | Delisted |
| Viv Michie | Melbourne | 10 November 2015 | Delisted |

## 2015 national draft

The 2015 AFL national draft was held on 24 November 2015 at the Adelaide Convention Centre. For the first time, live bidding occurred during the draft for selections made under the father–son rule and from the northern state's development academies, whereby each draft selection is allocated a points value. Clubs nominating a player were forced to use their existing draft selections to match the points value of the pick used by the club bidding for the player.
| ^ | 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 |
    Final draft order
Draft-eve selection order, club by club, and points value of each pick :
| Round | Pick | Points | Club | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | 3000 | Carlton | |
| 1 | 2 | 2517 | Brisbane Lions | |
| 1 | 3 | 2234 | Melbourne | Traded from Gold Coast |
| 1 | 4 | 2034 | Essendon | |
| 1 | 5 | 1878 | Essendon | Traded by St Kilda |
| 1 | 6 | 1751 | Gold Coast | Traded from Melbourne |
| 1 | 7 | 1644 | Melbourne | Traded from Greater Western Sydney; received from Collingwood |
| 1 | 8 | 1551 | Carlton | Traded from Greater Western Sydney |
| 1 | 9 | 1469 | Adelaide | Traded from Geelong |
| 1 | 10 | 1395 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Melbourne; received from Gold Coast, received from Port Adelaide |
| 1 | 11 | 1329 | Carlton | Traded from Western Bulldogs |
| 1 | 12 | 1268 | Richmond | |
| 1 | 13 | 1212 | Adelaide | |
| 1 | 14 | 1161 | St Kilda | Traded by Sydney |
| 1 | 15 | 1112 | Hawthorn | Traded from North Melbourne |
| 1 | 16 | 1067 | Gold Coast | Traded from Fremantle |
| 1 | 17 | 1025 | North Melbourne | Traded from Brisbane Lions; received from West Coast |
| 1 | 18 | 985 | Hawthorn | |
| 1 | 19 | 948 | Carlton | Traded from Richmond; received from Gold Coast; received from Greater Western Sydney via a trade in 2012; traded to the Giants by Fremantle in 2011; originally received by Fremantle as compensation for Rhys Palmer. |
| 2 | 20 | 912 | Western Bulldogs | Traded from Carlton |
| 2 | 21 | 878 | Western Bulldogs | Traded from Carlton; received from Brisbane Lions |
| 2 | 22 | 845 | Fremantle | Traded from Gold Coast |
| 2 | 23 | 815 | West Coast | Traded from Sydney; received from Essendon |
| 2 | 24 | 785 | Essendon | Traded by St Kilda |
| 2 | 25 | 756 | Essendon | Traded from Melbourne |
| 2 | 26 | 729 | North Melbourne | Traded from Brisbane Lions; received from Collingwood |
| 2 | 27 | 703 | Collingwood | Traded from Greater Western Sydney |
| 2 | 28 | 677 | North Melbourne | Traded from Collingwood; received from Greater Western Sydney; received from Carlton; received from Adelaide; received from Geelong |
| 2 | 29 | 653 | Gold Coast | Traded from Gold Coast, received from Port Adelaide |
| 2 | 30 | 629 | Western Bulldogs | |
| 2 | 31 | 606 | West Coast | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Richmond |
| 2 | 32 | 584 | Port Adelaide | Traded from Adelaide |
| 2 | 33 | 563 | Sydney | |
| 2 | 34 | 542 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Collingwood; received from North Melbourne |
| 2 | 35 | 522 | Fremantle | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Fremantle |
| 2 | 36 | 502 | Sydney | Traded from West Coast |
| 2 | 37 | 483 | Sydney | Traded from West Coast; free agency compensation pick (Selwood) |
| 2 | 38 | 465 | Brisbane Lions | Traded from North Melbourne; received from Hawthorn |
| 2 | 39 | 446 | Brisbane Lions | Free agency compensation pick (Leuenberger) |
| 2 | 40 | 429 | Brisbane Lions | Traded from North Melbourne; received from Hawthorn; free agency compensation pick (Suckling) |
| 3 | 41 | 412 | Brisbane Lions | Traded from Carlton |
| 3 | 42 | 395 | Brisbane Lions | |
| 3 | 43 | 378 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Melbourne; received from Gold Coast |
| 3 | 44 | 362 | Sydney | Traded by Essendon |
| 3 | 45 | 347 | St Kilda | |
| 3 | 46 | 331 | Melbourne | |
| 3 | 47 | 316 | North Melbourne | Traded from Collingwood |
| 3 | 48 | 302 | Hawthorn | Traded from Greater Western Sydney |
| 3 | 49 | 287 | Port Adelaide | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Geelong |
| 3 | 50 | 273 | Melbourne | Traded from Port Adelaide |
| 3 | 51 | 259 | Western Bulldogs | |
| 3 | 52 | 246 | Richmond | |
| 3 | 53 | 233 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Collingwood; received from North Melbourne; received from Gold Coast; received from Geelong; received from Adelaide |
| 3 | 54 | 220 | Sydney | |
| 3 | 55 | 207 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Hawthorn; received from North Melbourne |
| 3 | 56 | 194 | Gold Coast | Traded from Fremantle |
| 3 | 57 | 182 | Essendon | Traded from West Coast |
| 3 | 58 | 170 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Hawthorn |
| 4 | 59 | 158 | Carlton | |
| 4 | 60 | 146 | Carlton | Traded from Brisbane Lions |
| 4 | 61 | 135 | Fremantle | Traded from Gold Coast |
| 4 | 62 | 123 | West Coast | Traded from Essendon |
| 4 | 63 | 112 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Collingwood; received from St Kilda |
| 4 | 64 | 101 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Melbourne |
| 4 | 65 | 90 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Collingwood |
| 4 | 66 | 80 | Collingwood | Traded from Greater Western Sydney |
| 4 | 67 | 69 | Geelong | |
| 4 | 68 | 59 | St Kilda | Traded from Collingwood; received from Port Adelaide |
| 4 | 69 | 49 | Sydney | Traded from Western Bulldogs |
| 4 | 70 | 39 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Richmond |
| 4 | 71 | 29 | Adelaide | |
| 4 | 72 | 19 | Sydney | |
| 4 | 73 | 9 | North Melbourne | |
| 4 | 74 | 0 | Fremantle | |
| 4 | 75 | 0 | West Coast | |
| 4 | 76 | 0 | Hawthorn | |
| 5 | 77 | 0 | Collingwood | Traded from Greater Western Sydney; received from Carlton |
| 5 | 78 | 0 | Brisbane Lions | |
| 5 | 79 | 0 | Gold Coast | |
| 5 | 80 | 0 | Essendon | |
| 5 | 81 | 0 | St Kilda | |
| 5 | 82 | 0 | Melbourne | |
| 5 | 83 | 0 | Collingwood | |
| 5 | 84 | 0 | Collingwood | Traded from Greater Western Sydney |
| 5 | 85 | 0 | Geelong | |
| 5 | 86 | 0 | Port Adelaide | |
| 5 | 87 | 0 | Western Bulldogs | |
| 5 | 88 | 0 | Richmond | |
| 5 | 89 | 0 | Adelaide | |
| 5 | 90 | 0 | Sydney | |
| 5 | 91 | 0 | North Melbourne | |
| 5 | 92 | 0 | Fremantle | |
| 5 | 93 | 0 | West Coast | |
| 5 | 94 | 0 | Melbourne | Traded from Hawthorn |
| 6 | 95 | 0 | Greater Western Sydney | Traded from Carlton |
| 6 | 96 | 0 | Brisbane Lions | |
| 6 | 97 | 0 | Gold Coast | |
| 6 | 98 | 0 | Essendon | |
| 6 | 99 | 0 | St Kilda | |
| 6 | 100 | 0 | Melbourne | |
| 6 | 101 | 0 | Collingwood | |
| 6 | 102 | 0 | Greater Western Sydney | |
| 6 | 103 | 0 | Geelong | |
| 6 | 104 | 0 | Port Adelaide | |
| 6 | 105 | 0 | Western Bulldogs | |
| 6 | 106 | 0 | Richmond | |
| 6 | 107 | 0 | Adelaide | |
| 6 | 108 | 0 | Sydney | |
| 6 | 109 | 0 | North Melbourne | |
| 6 | 110 | 0 | Fremantle | |
| 6 | 111 | 0 | West Coast | |
| 6 | 112 | 0 | Hawthorn | |
| 7 | 113 | 0 | Carlton | |
| 7 | 114 | 0 | Brisbane Lions | |
| 7 | 115 | 0 | Gold Coast | |
| 7 | 116 | 0 | Essendon | |
| 7 | 117 | 0 | St Kilda | |
| 7 | 118 | 0 | Melbourne | |
| 7 | 119 | 0 | Collingwood | |
| 7 | 120 | 0 | Richmond | Traded from Greater Western Sydney |
| 7 | 121 | 0 | Geelong | |
| 7 | 122 | 0 | Port Adelaide | |
| 7 | 123 | 0 | Western Bulldogs | |
| 7 | 124 | 0 | Richmond | |
| 7 | 125 | 0 | Adelaide | |
| 7 | 126 | 0 | Sydney | |
| 7 | 127 | 0 | North Melbourne | |
| 7 | 128 | 0 | Fremantle | |
| 7 | 129 | 0 | West Coast | |
| 7 | 130 | 0 | Hawthorn | |
| Round | Pick | Player | Drafted to | Recruited from | League | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Jacob Weitering | Carlton | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 2 | Josh Schache | Brisbane Lions | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 3 | Callum Mills | Sydney | North Shore | Sydney AFL | Academy player; Melbourne's bid matched with picks 33, 36, 37 and 43 |
| 1 | 4 | Clayton Oliver | Melbourne | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast |
| 1 | 5 | Darcy Parish | Essendon | Geelong Falcons | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 6 | Aaron Francis | Essendon | West Adelaide | SANFL | Traded from St Kilda |
| 1 | 7 | Jacob Hopper | Greater Western Sydney | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | Academy player; Gold Coast's bid matched with pick 11 |
| 1 | 8 | Callum Ah Chee | Gold Coast | South Fremantle | WAFL | Traded from Melbourne |
| 1 | 9 | Sam Weideman | Melbourne | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | Traded from Greater Western Sydney; received from Collingwood |
| 1 | 10 | Harry McKay | Carlton | Gippsland Power | TAC Cup | Traded from Greater Western Sydney |
| 1 | 11 | Wayne Milera | Adelaide | Central District | SANFL | Traded from Geelong |
| 1 | 12 | Charlie Curnow | Carlton | Geelong Falcons | TAC Cup | Traded from Western Bulldogs |
| 1 | 13 | Matthew Kennedy | Greater Western Sydney | Collingullie-Glenfield Park | RFNL | Academy player; Richmond's bid matched with picks 34 and 40 |
| 1 | 14 | Eric Hipwood | Brisbane Lions | Aspley | NEAFL | Academy player; Richmond's bid matched with picks 36 and 37 |
| 1 | 15 | Daniel Rioli | Richmond | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 16 | Harrison Himmelberg | Greater Western Sydney | Mangoplah-CUE | RFNL | Academy player; Adelaide's bid matched with picks 48, 50, 55 and 59 |
| 1 | 17 | Tom Doedee | Adelaide | Geelong Falcons | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 18 | Jade Gresham | St Kilda | Northern Knights | TAC Cup | Traded from Sydney |
| 1 | 19 | Ryan Burton | Hawthorn | North Adelaide | SANFL | Traded from North Melbourne |
| 1 | 20 | Brayden Fiorini | Gold Coast | Northern Knights | TAC Cup | Traded from Fremantle |
| 1 | 21 | Ben McKay | North Melbourne | Gippsland Power | TAC Cup | Traded from Brisbane Lions; received from West Coast |
| 1 | 22 | Kieran Lovell | Hawthorn | Kingborough | TSL | |
| 1 | 23 | David Cuningham | Carlton | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | Traded from Richmond; received from Gold Coast; received from Greater Western Sydney via a trade in 2012; received from Fremantle in 2011; compensation pick from 2011 (Palmer) |
| 2 | 24 | Ben Keays | Brisbane Lions | Brisbane Lions | NEAFL | Academy player; Western Bulldogs' bid matched with Brisbane's next pick |
| 2 | 25 | Josh Dunkley | Western Bulldogs | Gippsland Power | TAC Cup | Traded from Carlton; father-son eligible (son of Andrew Dunkley), but Sydney did not match bid |
| 2 | 26 | Kieran Collins | Western Bulldogs | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | Traded from Carlton; received from Brisbane Lions |
| 2 | 27 | Darcy Tucker | Fremantle | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast |
| 2 | 28 | Luke Partington | West Coast | Norwood | SANFL | Traded from Sydney; received from Essendon |
| 2 | 29 | Alex Morgan | Essendon | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | Traded from St Kilda |
| 2 | 30 | Mason Redman | Essendon | Glenelg | SANFL | Traded from Melbourne |
| 2 | 31 | Ryan Clarke | North Melbourne | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | Traded from Brisbane Lions; received from Collingwood |
| 2 | 32 | Brayden Sier | Collingwood | Northern Knights | TAC Cup | Traded from Greater Western Sydney |
| 2 | 33 | Mitchell Hibberd | North Melbourne | Clarence | TSL | Traded from Collingwood; received from Greater Western Sydney; received from Carlton; received from Adelaide; received from Geelong |
| 2 | 34 | Josh Schoenfeld | Gold Coast | Peel Thunder | WAFL | Traded from Gold Coast, received from Port Adelaide |
| 2 | 35 | Marcus Adams | Western Bulldogs | West Perth | WAFL | |
| 2 | 36 | Tom Cole | West Coast | Bendigo Pioneers | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Richmond |
| 2 | 37 | Riley Bonner | Port Adelaide | West Adelaide | SANFL | Traded from Adelaide |
| 2 | 38 | Harley Balic | Fremantle | Sandringham Dragons | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Fremantle |
| 3 | 39 | Rhys Mathieson | Brisbane Lions | Geelong Falcons | TAC Cup | Traded from North Melbourne; received from Hawthorn; free agency compensation pick (Suckling) |
| 3 | 40 | Brandon White | St Kilda | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | |
| 3 | 41 | Matt Flynn | Greater Western Sydney | Narrandera | RFNL | Academy player; Melbourne's bid matched with GWS' next pick |
| 3 | 42 | Mitch King | Melbourne | Murray Bushrangers | TAC Cup | |
| 3 | 43 | Corey Wagner | North Melbourne | Aspley | NEAFL | Traded from Collingwood; academy eligible, but Brisbane Lions did not match bid |
| 3 | 44 | Blake Hardwick | Hawthorn | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | Traded from Greater Western Sydney |
| 3 | 45 | Aidyn Johnson | Port Adelaide | Bendigo Pioneers | TAC Cup | Traded from Gold Coast; received from Geelong |
| 3 | 46 | Liam Hulett | Melbourne | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | Traded from Port Adelaide |
| 3 | 47 | Sam Skinner | Brisbane Lions | Gippsland Power | TAC Cup | Traded from Carlton |
| 3 | 48 | Bailey Williams | Western Bulldogs | Glenelg | SANFL | |
| 3 | 49 | Bailey Rice | St Kilda | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | Father–son rule selection (son of Dean Rice); Richmond's bid matched with St Kilda's next pick |
| 3 | 50 | Oleg Markov | Richmond | North Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 3 | 51 | Tyrone Leonardis | Sydney | Northern Knights | TAC Cup | Traded from Essendon |
| 3 | 52 | Mackenzie Willis | Gold Coast | Kingborough | TSL | Traded from Fremantle |
| 3 | 53 | Jack Silvagni | Carlton | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | Father–son rule selection (son of Stephen Silvagni); Essendon's bid matched with Carlton's next pick |
| 3 | 54 | Mitch Brown | Essendon | Sandringham | VFL | Traded from West Coast |
| 4 | 55 | Sam Collins | Fremantle | Box Hill | VFL | Traded from Gold Coast |
| 4 | 56 | Jordan Dawson | Sydney | Sturt | SANFL | |
| 4 | 57 | Kurt Mutimer | West Coast | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | Traded from Essendon |
| 4 | 58 | Tom Phillips | Collingwood | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | |
| 4 | 59 | Ryan Gardner | Geelong | Burnie | TSL | |
| 4 | 60 | Declan Mountford | North Melbourne | Claremont | WAFL | |
| 4 | 61 | Shane Yarran | Fremantle | Subiaco | WAFL | |
| 4 | 62 | Matthew Allen | West Coast | Glenelg | SANFL | |
| 5 | 63 | Rupert Wills | Collingwood | Collingwood | VFL | Traded from Greater Western Sydney; received from Carlton |
| 5 | 64 | Yestin Eades | Essendon | North Ballarat Rebels | TAC Cup | |
| 5 | 65 | Ben Crocker | Collingwood | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | |
| 5 | 66 | Sam Menegola | Geelong | Subiaco | WAFL | |
| 5 | 67 | Nathan Broad | Richmond | Swan Districts | WAFL | |
| 6 | 68 | Michael Hartley | Essendon | Coburg | VFL | |
| 6 | 69 | Wylie Buzza | Geelong | Mount Gravatt | QAFL | |
| 7 | 70 | Matthew Hayball | Geelong | West Adelaide | SANFL | |

### Notes

* Compensation picks are selections in addition to the normal order of selection, allocated to clubs by the AFL as compensation for losing uncontracted players to the new expansion clubs, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney. The picks can be held for up to five years and clubs declare at the beginning of the season of their intent to utilise the pick at the end of the season. Picks could be traded to other clubs in return for players or other draft selections.
* 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 NSW 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 2015 to their 2016 primary playing list prior to the draft. In total, 14 players were promoted.
| Player | Club |
| Jake Kelly | Adelaide |
| Jack Frost | Collingwood |
| Shaun McKernan | Essendon |
| Ethan Hughes | Fremantle |
| Michael Luxford | Geelong |
| Adam Saad | Gold Coast |
| Keegan Brooksby | Gold Coast |
| Kurt Heatherley | Hawthorn |
| Aaron vandenBerg | Melbourne |
| James Harmes | Melbourne |
| Sam Gray | Port Adelaide |
| Kane Lambert | Richmond |
| Jack Sinclair | St Kilda |
| Sam Naismith | Sydney |

## 2016 rookie draft

The 2016 AFL rookie draft was held on 27 November 2015. The official rookie draft order was released on 26 November and each club, with the exception of Greater Western Sydney who are still operating with an expanded list, can have between four and six players on their rookie list, as long as they have a maximum of 44 players on their combined primary and rookie lists.
The pre-season draft was not held as all eligible clubs informed the AFL they would not be participating.
| Round | Pick | Player | Drafted to | Recruited from | League | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Jesse Glass-McCasker | Carlton | Swan Districts | WAFL | |
| 1 | 2 | Jackson Paine | Brisbane Lions | Brisbane Lions | AFL | |
| 1 | 3 | Tom Keough | Gold Coast | West Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 1 | 4 | Gach Nyuon | Essendon | Dandenong Stingrays | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 5 | Nick O'Kearney | St Kilda | Calder Cannons | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 6 | Josh Wagner | Melbourne | Aspley | NEAFL | |
| 1 | 7 | Lachlan Keeffe | Collingwood | Collingwood | AFL | Ineligible to play in 2016 due to serving a two-year ban for testing positive to banned substance clenbuterol |
| 1 | 8 | Sam Reid | Greater Western Sydney | UWS Giants | NEAFL | |
| 1 | 9 | Jock Cornell | Geelong | Mangoplah-CUE | RFNL | |
| 1 | 10 | Will Snelling | Port Adelaide | West Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 1 | 11 | Brad Lynch | Western Bulldogs | Swan Districts | WAFL | |
| 1 | 12 | Callum Moore | Richmond | Calder Cannons | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 13 | Paul Hunter | Adelaide | Redland | NEAFL | |
| 1 | 14 | Tom Papley | Sydney | Gippsland Power | TAC Cup | |
| 1 | 15 | Farren Ray | North Melbourne | St Kilda | AFL | |
| 1 | 16 | Matt Uebergang | Fremantle | Redland | NEAFL | |
| 1 | 17 | Jordan Snadden | West Coast | East Fremantle | WAFL | |
| 1 | 18 | Luke Surman | Hawthorn | Norwood | SANFL | |
| 2 | 19 | Andrew Gallucci | Carlton | Williamstown | VFL | |
| 2 | 20 | Reuben William | Brisbane Lions | Zillmere | QAFL | |
| 2 | 21 | Darcy Macpherson | Gold Coast | Northern Knights | TAC Cup | |
| 2 | 22 | Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti | Essendon | Essendon | VFL | |
| 2 | 23 | Nick Coughlan | St Kilda | Albury | O&MFL | |
| 2 | 24 | Viv Michie | Melbourne | Melbourne | AFL | |
| 2 | 25 | Josh Smith | Collingwood | Redland | NEAFL | |
| 2 | 26 | Daniel Lloyd | Greater Western Sydney | Killarney Vale | BDAFL | |
| 2 | 27 | James Parsons | Geelong | Eastern Ranges | TAC Cup | |
| 2 | 28 | Cameron Hewett | Port Adelaide | North Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 2 | 29 | Luke Goetz | Western Bulldogs | Western Jets | TAC Cup | |
| 2 | 30 | Mabior Chol | Richmond | Aspley | NEAFL | |
| 2 | 31 | Jonathon Beech | Adelaide | West Adelaide | SANFL | |
| 2 | 32 | Harrison Marsh | Sydney | Sydney | AFL | |
| 2 | 33 | Majak Daw | North Melbourne | North Melbourne | AFL | |
| 2 | 34 | Ryan Nyhuis | Fremantle | Nightcliff | NTFL | |
| 2 | 35 | Brant Colledge | West Coast | West Coast | AFL | |
| 2 | 36 | Kade Stewart | Hawthorn | South Fremantle | WAFL | |
| 3 | 37 | Matthew Korcheck | Carlton | Arizona | Pac-12 | International player (basketball) |
| 3 | 38 | Ryan Davis | Gold Coast | Swan Districts | WAFL | |
| 3 | 39 | Will Hams | Essendon | Essendon | AFL | |
| 3 | 40 | Josh Saunders | St Kilda | St Kilda | AFL | |
| 3 | 41 | Joel Smith | Melbourne | Geelong Supercats | SEABL | Three-year non-registered player, via basketball (also the son of Shaun Smith) |
| 3 | 42 | Josh Thomas | Collingwood | Collingwood | AFL | Ineligible to play in 2016 due to serving a two-year ban for testing positive to banned substance clenbuterol |
| 3 | 43 | Passed | Greater Western Sydney | — | — | |
| 3 | 44 | Tom Ruggles | Geelong | Geelong | VFL | |
| 3 | 45 | Dan Houston | Port Adelaide | Oakleigh Chargers | TAC Cup | |
| 3 | 46 | Jed Adcock | Western Bulldogs | Brisbane Lions | AFL | |
| 3 | 47 | Adam Marcon | Richmond | Williamstown | VFL | |
| 3 | 48 | Hugh Greenwood | Adelaide | Perth Wildcats | NBL | 3-year non-registered player, via basketball. |
| 3 | 49 | Passed | Sydney | — | — | |
| 3 | 50 | Anthony Morabito | Fremantle | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 3 | 51 | Alec Waterman | West Coast | West Coast | AFL | |
| 3 | 52 | Alex Woodward | Hawthorn | Hawthorn | AFL | |
| 4 | 53 | Cameron Loersch | Gold Coast | South Fremantle | WAFL | |
| 4 | 54 | Tom Wallis | Essendon | Calder Cannons | TAC Cup | Father–son rule selection (son of Dean Wallis) |
| 4 | 55 | Tim Golds | Collingwood | Greater Western Sydney | AFL | |
| 4 | 56 | Passed | Greater Western Sydney | — | — | |
| 4 | 57 | Kane Mitchell | Port Adelaide | Port Adelaide | AFL | |
| 4 | 58 | Alex Keath | Adelaide | Victoria | Cricket Australia | Three-year non-registered player, via cricket |
| 4 | 59 | Kyle Galloway | Sydney | Shepparton | GVFL | |
| 4 | 60 | Josh Deluca | Fremantle | Fremantle | AFL | |
| 4 | 61 | Simon Tunbridge | West Coast | West Coast | AFL | |
| 4 | 62 | Conor Glass | Hawthorn | Derry GAA | GAA | International player (Gaelic football) |
| 5 | 63 | Danny Stanley | Gold Coast | Gold Coast | AFL | |
| 5 | 64 | Darrean Wyatt | Collingwood | Coastal Georgia | SSAC | Three-year non-registered player, via basketball |
| 5 | 65 | Passed | Greater Western Sydney | — | — | |
| 5 | 66 | Sam Murray | Sydney | Wodonga | O&MFL | |
| 6 | 67 | Jesse Joyce | | Palm Beach Currumbin | QAFL | |
| 6 | 68 | Passed | Greater Western Sydney | — | — | |
| 6 | 69 | Colin O'Riordan | Sydney | Tipperary GAA | GAA | International player (Gaelic football) |
| 7 | 70 | Passed | Greater Western Sydney | — | — | |
| 8 | 71 | Passed | Greater Western Sydney | — | — | |
| 9 | 72 | Passed | Greater Western Sydney | — | — | |
| Source |||||||

## Player breakdown

A total of 134 players were drafted across the national and rookie drafts. The following is a breakdown of players drafted by position and the league they were drafted from:
* Defender – 16
* Half-back – 14
* Midfielder – 49
* Half-forward – 22
* Forward – 19
* Ruckman – 10
* Utility – 3
The TAC Cup was the league with the highest number of players drafted, with forty-five in total. The Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup had the most players drafted out of any team with seven players.
| League | National draft | Rookie draft | Total | State/territory |
| State/territory |||
| AFL | 0 | 19 | 19 | Australia-wide |
| NEAFL | 3 | 6 | 9 | ACT, NSW, NT, QLD |
| SANFL | 11 | 5 | 16 | South Australia |
| TAC Cup | 36 | 9 | 45 | Victoria |
| TSL | 4 | 0 | 4 | Tasmania |
| VFL | 4 | 4 | 8 | Victoria |
| WAFL | 7 | 6 | 13 | Western Australia |
| Other leagues | 5 | 8 | 13 | Australia-wide |
| Three-year non-registered players | 0 | 4 | 4 | Australia-wide |
| International recruits | 0 | 3 | 3 | International |
| Total | 70 | 64 | 134 | |

## Essendon top-up signings

On 12 January 2016, thirty-four past and present Essendon Football Club players – twelve of whom were still on the Essendon list – were suspended until November 2016 after being found guilty of being injected with the banned substance thymosin beta-4 during the 2012 season, significantly compromising Essendon's playing list for 2016. The club received permission to augment its list by recruiting up to ten top-up players from lower levels on contracts which would last until 31 October 2016. The club was limited to players who had been on an AFL list in either 2014 or 2015, with no more than one player to be taken from any state-level club; or, it could recruit any VFL-listed player from its own reserves team without restriction.
Essendon top-up signings :
| Player | Date | Recruited from | League | Former AFL club |
| Ryan Crowley | 19 January 2016 | Swan Districts | WAFL | Fremantle (2015) |
| James Kelly | 20 January 2016 | Southern Districts | NTFL | Geelong (2015) |
| Jonathan Simpkin | 27 January 2016 | Balwyn | Eastern FL | Hawthorn (2015) |
| Matt Dea | 28 January 2016 | Williamstown | VFL | Richmond (2015) |
| James Polkinghorne | 29 January 2016 | Essendon reserves | VFL | Brisbane Lions (2014) |
| Mathew Stokes | 29 January 2016 | Palmerston | NTFL | Geelong (2015) |
| Mark Jamar | 2 February 2016 | St Kevin's Old Boys | VAFA | Melbourne (2015) |
| Sam Grimley | 6 February 2016 | Subiaco | WAFL | Hawthorn (2015) |
| Nathan Grima | 18 February 2016 | Strathmore | EDFL | North Melbourne (2015) |
| Sam Michael | 25 February 2016 | Redland | NEAFL | Brisbane Lions (2014) |