NORTH Melbourne has "six or seven" players it is considering for its prized No.4 draft pick, with Roos recruiting manager Mark Finnigan saying the club won't necessarily choose a midfielder next month.
The Kangaroos hold their earliest draft pick since they selected Lachie Hansen at No.3 in 2006, and have been open in their desire to add midfielders to their list.
However, Finnigan told AFL.com.au's Road to the Draft podcast that the Roos wouldn't prioritise a midfielder with their first pick.
"Obviously we'd love an elite midfielder, but we'd love an elite player. Whether it's a midfielder or not, we want to pick the best player available," he said.
"We're probably looking at six or seven at the moment and there's a fair group to work through. They've all got their strengths and weaknesses so we just have to pick the right one."
Cameron Rayner is seen by clubs as the most likely player to be the No.1 pick at this stage, but Paddy Dow, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Andrew Brayshaw are others in the mix for the Brisbane Lions.
Adam Cerra, Jaidyn Stephenson and Darcy Fogarty are other players who have been linked as possibilities for the Roos as they wait to see which prospects are available.
Finnigan said it is difficult to predict what the Lions will do with pick No.1 before Fremantle (No.2) and Carlton (No.3) make their choices.
"You definitely think about it because you want to know what's going to be available at your pick, but it's obviously still a few weeks out and we'll have to wait to see who's left," he said.
"It's a strong group and all those players are players we're talking through at the moment.
"It will be [about] the bigger picture. You could pick a player who could come in and play round one next year, but you could pick another who could take 12-18 months to get to where they need to get to. We're looking a lot more longer-term and what that player could turn out to be."
Finnigan said the Roos are likely to use four or five picks at the NAB AFL Draft in Sydney on November 24.
The Roos had a quiet NAB AFL Trade Period, with their only move an exchange of third-round picks with Port Adelaide that bolstered their 2018 draft points position if they need to match bids on possible Next Generation Academy member Tarryn Thomas, and father-sons Joel Crocker, Nick Blakey and Bailey Scott.
Blakey, the son of former North Melbourne and Fitzroy player John, is eligible to go to the Roos or Brisbane Lions as a father-son selection, and also to the Swans as an academy player.
Scott, the son of former North Melbourne and Geelong player Robert, is eligible to both clubs as a father-son and also Gold Coast as an academy pick. Crocker is the son of former ex-Roo Darren and is only eligible to join North under the father-son rule.
The Roos are hopeful of swaying Scott and Blakey to nominate them as their preferred father-son destinations.
"It's been exciting to watch them grow. Most of them have been in the program since they were 10 or 12, so it's gone very quickly to next year being draft eligible. They've all shown what they're capable of," he said.
"Bailey will spend a bit of time with us as part of the AFL Academy. Nick is recovering from injury at the moment so he's probably going to stay in Sydney and do his rehab because he's got to travel to Darwin and then across to America [with the Academy]. But Bailey will spend the week with us.
"The boys have both got choices – and three choices – so the ball will be in their court. Both their fathers have been champions of our footy club, premiership players, and have a great relationship with the football club. All you can do is put your best foot forward and hope they choose you."
