Currently the bidding for father-son prospects and nominated players from the northern clubs' academies is slated for October 6, the Monday morning before the trade period starts and almost eight weeks before the draft.
Holding it nearer to the draft, when clubs have a more accurate feel for how the order will pan out and have access to psychology reports of all players from the Draft Combine, could encourage such bids to more closely reflect how the market rates the player.
Academies, father-son rule here to stay: Evans
Live bidding during the draft is unlikely to be implemented this year, but may form part of future discussions.
The live element would make the event more dynamic, but also better allow clubs to see which other players are available when making their bids.
Under the current system, some clubs are reluctant to bid on players in case a prospect they rate higher unexpectedly slips down the draft board, like Lewis Taylor did in 2013 when he was selected by the Brisbane Lions at pick 28.
For instance, last year West Coast bid its first pick (No.6 overall) on North Melbourne's father-son prospect Luke McDonald, which the Kangaroos matched with their first selection (No.8).
But had a live bidding system been in effect (and West Coast not traded the pick), the Eagles might not have chosen to bid, because they may have preferred another player who was available at pick six ahead of McDonald, like Matt Scharenberg who was picked by Collingwood with that selection.
The Roos too, could have nominated McDonald but not been forced to take him on draft night, had a player they ranked higher been available when their first selection came in, under a more fluid scheme.
The bidding day is held in October, before the trade and free agency periods, in part so clubs cannot trade away their early picks and still have access to top end father-son and academy talent for bargain prices.
The academy and father-son system has been under review for some months as the League looks to produce a bidding process that sees clubs pay closer to market value for each player.
Changes to the process could be introduced for this year's draft, including the possibility of a certain objective criteria being applied to each draft selection, from No.1 through to later rounds.
For instance, if a club was to bid pick No.5 for a player such as Sydney Swans academy star midfielder Isaac Heeney, the Swans could need to match the criteria that pick is deemed to be worth.
This could see them needing to use a combination of selections to secure Heeney – widely seen as a top-five talent but tied to the Swans – if they wanted to.
There are expected to be more than 10 players nominated as academy and father-son prospects this year, including Heeney and Collingwood's father-son prospect Darcy Moore, also regarded as a top-10 talent.
Abe Davis (Sydney Swans), Jack Steele and Jeremy Finlayson (Greater Western Sydney), and Liam Dawson, Matt Hammelmann, Matthew Uebergang and Nick Jackson (Brisbane Lions) are among the players who are possible academy picks.
Billy Stretch (Melbourne), Zaine Cordy (Western Bulldogs), Alec Waterman (West Coast), Harry Dear (Hawthorn), Josh Clayton and Tyler Roos (Brisbane Lions) are eligible father-son selections.
Midfielder Callum Mills, rated among the top handful of players for the 2015 draft, is also tied to the Swans via the academy.
Some clubs have in the past called on the AFL to conduct the trading of future draft picks earlier in the exchange period, while others believe trading of picks during the draft, like the NBA and NFL in America, would also add another element to club strategies.
