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The 2026 AFL Draft is on 19 and 20 November. Essendon hold pick 1 and are expected to bid on Port Adelaide Academy prospect Dougie Cochrane.
The 2026 Telstra AFL Draft runs over two nights, with the first round on Thursday 19 November and the remaining rounds on Friday 20 November. Essendon finished last in 2026 and hold the No.1 pick, Richmond have picks 2 and 5, and West Coast pick 3. The likeliest first name called is Dougie Cochrane, tied to Port Adelaide through its Next Generation Academy, which means an Essendon bid that Port match. Below: the key dates, the first-round draft order after the trade period, every club’s picks, the top prospects, how bids and the new compensation pick work, and the trades that shaped the order.
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AFL Draft 2026: key details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| National draft, round 1 | Thursday 19 November 2026 |
| National draft, rounds 2+ | Friday 20 November 2026 |
| Pre-season and rookie drafts | Monday 23 November 2026, 3pm AEDT |
| Pick 1 | Essendon (finished 18th in 2026 on 2-21) |
| Expected first bid | Dougie Cochrane (Port Adelaide Next Generation Academy) |
| How to watch | The AFL had not published 2026 start times or broadcast details when we checked on 10 November. The 2025 draft was shown live on Fox Footy and Kayo from 7pm AEDT. |
| Trade period | Closed Wednesday 14 October 2026 (ran from 5 October) |
AFL draft order 2026: first round
This is the indicative first-round order AFL.com.au published at the close of the trade period on 14 October 2026. It will move: clubs can still trade picks before and during the draft, and every matched bid pushes the picks below it back one spot.
| Pick | Club | How they got it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essendon | Own pick (18th) |
| 2 | Richmond | Own pick (17th) |
| 3 | West Coast | Own pick (16th) |
| 4 | Melbourne | From Port Adelaide in the five-club deal |
| 5 | Richmond | From Port Adelaide (Zak Butters free agency compensation) |
| 6 | Sydney | From North Melbourne in the Nick Blakey trade |
| 7 | Port Adelaide | From Melbourne in the five-club deal (Gold Coast’s original pick) |
| 8 | Gold Coast | Ben King free agency compensation |
| 9 | GWS | Own pick |
| 10 | St Kilda | Own pick |
| 11 | Collingwood | Own pick |
| 12 | Port Adelaide | From Melbourne in the five-club deal |
| 13 | Carlton | Own pick |
| 14 | Melbourne | From the Western Bulldogs in the five-club deal |
| 15 | Adelaide | Own pick |
| 16 | St Kilda | From Geelong in the Rowan Marshall trade |
| 17 | Essendon | From Hawthorn in the Zach Merrett trade |
| 18 | Carlton | Sydney’s original pick |
| 19 | Fremantle | Own pick |
| 20 | GWS | From Brisbane in a pick swap |
Source: AFL.com.au indicative draft order, 14 October 2026. Picks after a matched bid slide back one place, and the new compensation picks (explained below) are added at the start of round two at the end of night one.
Every club’s picks
| Club | Picks (as at 14 October) |
|---|---|
| Adelaide | 15, 32, 35, 43, 56, 92, 110 |
| Brisbane | 21, 27, 28, 45, 79, 97, 115 |
| Carlton | 13, 18, 31, 50, 61, 72, 90, 108 |
| Collingwood | 11, 30, 67, 68, 70, 88, 106 |
| Essendon | 1, 17, 25, 80, 98 |
| Fremantle | 19, 40, 60, 63, 78, 96, 114 |
| Geelong | 36, 57, 62, 75, 93, 111 |
| Gold Coast | 8, 81, 85, 103 |
| GWS | 9, 20, 26, 59, 77, 86, 104 |
| Hawthorn | 29, 37, 71, 94, 107, 112 |
| Melbourne | 4, 14, 48, 52 |
| North Melbourne | 33, 49, 66, 74, 84, 102 |
| Port Adelaide | 7, 12, 22, 24, 34, 46, 65, 101 |
| Richmond | 2, 5, 44, 99 |
| St Kilda | 10, 16, 41, 51, 69, 87, 105 |
| Sydney | 6, 38, 39, 47, 54, 76, 95, 113 |
| West Coast | 3, 23, 58, 64, 73, 82, 100 |
| Western Bulldogs | 42, 53, 55, 83, 89, 91, 109 |
Two clubs stand out. Port Adelaide hold seven, 12, 22 and 24, but much of that is earmarked: matching the Cochrane bid will cost the Power their early points, and the Power now hold three first-round picks in 2027, when Academy prospect Zemes Pilot and father-son Louis Salopek are expected to attract early bids. Hawthorn, at the other end, have nothing before pick 29 after landing Zach Merrett and Ben King.
Who will go No.1? The Dougie Cochrane bid
Essendon have the first pick, but the first name called is expected to be a Port Adelaide player. Dougie Cochrane, the son of former Port and North Melbourne midfielder Stuart Cochrane, is eligible for Port through its Next Generation Academy. Port list manager Jason Cripps said in October that Essendon had told the club it would bid at pick 1: “We are planning for Dougie to be bid on at one.” If Port match, as expected, Cochrane becomes the No.1 pick and joins the Power, and Essendon pick again at No.2.
Cochrane played only four games in 2026 after knee surgery, but AFL.com.au still ranked him the best player in the pool in its September Phantom Form Guide. He is a utility who can play almost anywhere, and his ball use out of defence stood out in his SANFL games for Port.
That leaves Essendon’s real choice at the second selection. AFL.com.au framed it as Ethan Drever, Arki Butler or another option in what it called an even top end of the draft. A second big bid is expected on Carlton’s father-son prospect Cody Walker inside the first few picks, and Carlton hold picks 13 and 18 to help match it.
Top prospects in the 2026 AFL Draft
In the order AFL.com.au’s Cal Twomey ranked them in his September Phantom Form Guide, which rates players on talent and ignores where Academy and father-son bids will land.
| Player | Type and ties | Why he rates |
|---|---|---|
| Dougie Cochrane | Utility, Port Adelaide NGA | Consensus best player in the pool despite an injury-hit year; Essendon are expected to bid at pick 1. |
| Cody Walker | Midfielder, Carlton father-son | Son of former Blue Andrew Walker. A contested midfielder with an explosive first step, now 187cm after a season in Carlton’s system. |
| Arki Butler | Half-forward | Brighton Grammar captain and Sandringham Dragon. A regular goalkicker who missed time with a broken collarbone. |
| Ethan Drever | Midfielder | Inside and outside midfielder from the Greater Western Victoria Rebels who also kicks goals forward. Rated a contender for the first live pick. |
| Heath Mellody | Midfielder | Larke Medallist who finished the year in Claremont’s WAFL league side. Could start his career at half-back. |
| Gus Teixeira | Forward and midfielder | Sandringham Dragon who plays his best in the biggest games. An explosive ball carrier. |
| Harry Van Hattum | Ruck | The leading ruck in the pool, with the size, leap and foot skills to play the modern ruck role. |
| Ethan Matthews | Midfielder, GWS Academy | Left-footed midfielder who had 35 disposals and 11 clearances for the Allies before a foot injury. GWS have first call. |
| Mitch Harris | Key defender | All-Australian full-back at the under-18 championships who finished the year in Woodville-West Torrens’ league side. |
| Caylen Murray | Half-back, Brisbane Academy | The Allies’ best player at the championships. Brisbane have first call and may use pick 21 to match a bid. |
How the AFL draft works
The order. Clubs pick in reverse ladder order, with the finals sides placed by how far they went, so the premier picks last in each round. Picks then move through trades, and free agency compensation picks are slotted in wherever the AFL places them (Gold Coast’s pick 8 for Ben King, Port’s pick 5 for Zak Butters).
Bids. Clubs have first call on father-son players and on members of their Academy or Next Generation Academy. When a rival club calls a tied player’s name, the tied club can match the bid by paying the value of that pick in draft points from its later selections. If it matches, it gets the player and every pick below moves back a spot.
The new compensation pick. From 2026, a bottom-five club whose own first-round pick is pushed back by a matched bid gets a pick at the start of round two, as long as it uses its first-round pick on a player. Essendon, Richmond and West Coast all qualify if Cochrane is matched at No.1. Port Adelaide and North Melbourne also finished in the bottom five but traded their own first-round picks, so they are not eligible. Each club can receive only one compensation pick per draft, and the AFL settles them at the end of night one.
The rookie draft. The pre-season and rookie drafts follow on Monday 23 November at 3pm AEDT, for clubs with list spots left to fill.
The trade period moves that shaped the order
The trade and free agency periods closed on 14 October, and the biggest moves explain most of the first round:
- Zak Butters left Port Adelaide for the Western Bulldogs as a restricted free agent. Port took pick 5 as compensation and traded it to Richmond for pick 22 and three 2027 selections.
- Ben King left Gold Coast for Hawthorn as a restricted free agent, earning the Suns pick 8.
- Zach Merrett moved from Essendon to Hawthorn, sending pick 17 to the Bombers.
- Nick Blakey moved from Sydney to North Melbourne for a package built on pick 6.
- A five-club deal between Port Adelaide, Melbourne, the Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn and Carlton gave Melbourne picks 4 and 14 and Port picks 7 and 12, plus Melbourne’s 2027 first-round pick.
- Rowan Marshall moved from St Kilda to Geelong, giving the Saints pick 16.
- Free agents: Lachie Neale left Brisbane for Collingwood, Toby Greene left GWS for Geelong, Joel Amartey left Sydney for Carlton and Kieren Briggs left GWS for Richmond.
- Other trades: Keidean Coleman (Brisbane to Essendon), Lachie Whitfield (GWS to Carlton), Sam Marshall (Brisbane to St Kilda), Zane Duursma (North Melbourne to Melbourne), Luke Pedlar (Adelaide to Port Adelaide), Trent Rivers and Jack Viney (Melbourne to West Coast), and Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood to Gold Coast).
What it means for 2027
The off-season reshaped the top of the betting. Hawthorn, who lost the 2026 preliminary final to Brisbane by nine points, became the early premiership favourites after adding Merrett and King, while Brisbane, premiers for a third straight year, lost Neale. Our 2027 AFL premiership odds page has the early market, the contenders and the key dates: the 2027 season opens with Sydney against Geelong at the SCG on Wednesday 17 March.
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18+ T&C's Apply. What are you really gambling with? Chances are you're about to lose. Set a Deposit Limit For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
#AD 18+ T&Cs Apply Imagine what you could be buying instead. For free & confidential support call 180 0858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
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AFL Draft 2026 FAQs
When is the 2026 AFL Draft?
The first round of the national draft is on Thursday 19 November 2026 and the remaining rounds are on Friday 20 November. The pre-season and rookie drafts follow on Monday 23 November at 3pm AEDT.
Who has pick 1 in the 2026 AFL Draft?
Essendon, after finishing last in 2026 with two wins. Richmond hold picks 2 and 5 and West Coast pick 3.
Who will be the No.1 pick in the 2026 AFL Draft?
Dougie Cochrane is the expected No.1 pick. Essendon are expected to bid on him at pick 1 and Port Adelaide, which has first call through its Next Generation Academy, are expected to match. Carlton father-son Cody Walker is widely rated the second-best player in the pool.
How does a draft bid work in the AFL?
When a club calls the name of a father-son or Academy player tied to another club, the tied club can match the bid by paying that pick’s value in draft points from its later picks. If it matches, it gets the player and the picks below move back one spot.
What is the new AFL draft compensation pick?
From 2026, a bottom-five club whose own first-round pick is pushed back by a matched bid gets a pick at the start of round two, provided it uses its first-round pick. Essendon, Richmond and West Coast qualify if Cochrane is matched at No.1.
How can I watch the 2026 AFL Draft?
The AFL had not confirmed 2026 broadcast details when we checked on 10 November. The 2025 draft was shown live on Fox Footy and Kayo from 7pm AEDT.
More AFL coverage
- AFL premiership odds 2027: early market and key dates
- AFL Grand Final 2026 results: Brisbane beat Fremantle
- AFL round-by-round: every round of 2026
- AFLW tips and predictions
- AFL Ladder Predictor
- AFL tips hub
- Best AFL betting sites
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