THERE is the Jayden Hunt most of us are starting to get to know – the headband-wearing, blond-haired speedster quickly establishing himself as one of the AFL's brightest young stars.

Then there is the Jayden Hunt who his family and friends know, and now his social media followers are beginning to learn about – the quirky, yet respectful young man who loves golf and surfing, and is obsessed by owls and Nippy's chocolate milk.

Hunt, 22 last month, makes no apologies for his relaxed lifestyle off the field. But once he walks out onto the ground, he transforms into a totally different person; he plays with urgency and, above all, wants to win at all costs.

"I let my footy do the talking and want people to respect me on the field, but off the field I'm a very laidback guy and love having fun," Hunt told AFL.com.au.

"It's just me being me."

Hunt's run-and-carry ability (he's ranked seventh in the AFL for metres gained), sharp decision-making under pressure and never-say-die attitude, would have him in contention for the All Australian squad of 40 at this point of the season. 

The recognition Hunt is receiving now is a far cry from when he was close to being delisted by Melbourne at the end of 2015, with a debilitating back injury not allowing him to develop at the expected rate.

Nevertheless, as the quality of Hunt's football has risen, so has his public profile.

Hunt says it was a conscious choice to be more 'out there'.

One glance at his Instagram page – which includes images of owls, his abnormally large middle finger and a video of him wheeling his mum Jane on a trolley, while rollerblading, to a birthday lunch – highlights the quirky behaviour that has seen him develop a cult following. 

Taking the old girl out for her 64th birthday lunch #365dayslater #annualbirthdaybash

A post shared by Jayden Hunt (@jaydenhunt) on

Melbourne teammates often shake their heads at Hunt's outlandish posts. However, they know the type of character that runs out for the Demons is going to give everything that he's got.

"People might call me a bit weird, but I don't really care," Hunt says.

"I'm not doing it to get fans or anything like that. It's just showing who I really am."

Hunt was not always so visible. In fact, only a handful of recruiters would have known who he was before Melbourne selected him with pick No.57 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft.

Hunt's Brighton Grammar teammates – Josh Kelly (drafted by Greater Western Sydney with pick No.2 in the draft) and Christian Salem (No.9 by Melbourne) – were very well known and considered top draft prospects after being part of the AFL Academy.

But Brighton Grammar coach Robert Shaw, formerly with Fitzroy and Adelaide, believed Hunt deserved similar recognition.

Hunt was a relatively short forward pocket and did not play much football in year 11 due to a back injury and his interest in pursuing tennis.

But a growth spurt in the summer saw him grow six centimetres to catch Shaw's attention and being shifted to a half-back flank better highlighted the youngster's elite speed and clean hands to prospective clubs.

Then-Melbourne recruiter Gary Burleigh, who would go and watch Brighton Grammar games to see Kelly and Salem in action, asked Shaw for more information about the skinny defender who could run like the wind.

"He's got something. This kid could make it," Shaw remembers telling Burleigh.

Burleigh liked what he saw but with Hunt still relatively unknown he and Melbourne recruiting manager Jason Taylor needed to see more.

After being told of Melbourne's interest, Hunt decided it was in his best interests to play with Old Brighton's Under-19s team once his school season had finished.

"It (Melbourne's interest) literally just changed my world," Hunt said.

Added Shaw: "This just came out of the blue to Jayden. He never would have imagined he'd be in that position."

Hunt was selected in the APS v AGSV representative game and Taylor nominated him for the 'Young Guns' game at Port Melbourne to further expose him to a higher-level of football.

Collingwood, and to a lesser extent St Kilda, had begun to show interest in Hunt, but Melbourne had seen more of him than any other club and decided to take a punt on him in the national draft.

Hunt's first two years at the Demons were not much fun, with his 2014 and 2015 seasons largely interrupted by a flare up of the back injury he suffered in year 11.

The unproven youngster had played only a handful of VFL games and, coming out of contract at the end of the 2015 season, Melbourne wasn't sure if he was worth persisting with.

"At the end of 2015, a few senior players and a few coaches put it to me that I might not be here in a couple of months," Hunt said.

"They backed me in that I was a long-term prospect and gave me an extra year, so I owe a lot to the club when I hadn't shown all that much."

Following a standout pre-season leading into 2016, Hunt finally made his debut (round four) and his confidence continued to grow as he became part of Melbourne's best 22.

He was adjudged Melbourne's best young player by the coaching staff in the best and fairest count last season and has taken his game to a new level this year, with his willingness to take the game on a key feature of his blossoming career.

"AFL speed is all about the first 10 metres so I've really tried to work on my power," Hunt said.

"There's probably a few guys who could beat me over 100m – I don't think anyone's got more power than (Geelong superstar) Patrick Dangerfield so I've got a bit of catching up to do."

Still with only 25 games to his name, the late-developing Hunt – contracted to Melbourne until the end of 2018 – believes he has plenty of scope for improvement, with his kicking on the run and spoiling in marking contests two focus areas.

Hunt said the injuries he suffered early in his career taught him how to be resilient. Hunt may take a relaxed approach to his life, but when he's on the football field he won't let anyone stand in his way.

"Because I was training by myself I taught myself to be driven. Now that I'm playing I don't take it for granted," Hunt said.