MELBOURNE has picked up Joel Smith, the son of the man who took one of the greatest marks of all time.

The 19-year-old will be listed as a Category B rookie next year after being recruited via the rule that allows a player straight onto a list if he hasn’t been registered in an Australian Football competition for three years.

Joel's father, Shaun Smith, took his brilliant mark against the Brisbane Lions in round 22, 1995. He leapt over teammate Garry Lyon to take the screamer in the goalsquare.

In a warning to opposition defenders, Shaun says his son has a superior leap.

"He can definitely jump higher than me, I can tell you right now," he said.

"He’s got me covered."

Smith has most recently been playing basketball for the Geelong Supercats in the South East Australian Basketball League. Smith has also represented Australia in the under-19s in basketball.

The 191cm teenager is seriously quick, running the 20m sprint in under 2.8 seconds.

Melbourne’s national recruiting manager Jason Taylor is excited at the prospect of having Smith on the list.

"Given his basketball (background), he's got good speed, agility and vertical leaping. He's also got a solid endurance base," he said.

"He's going to have a fair bit of work to do with the footy conditioning, but he comes in with a reasonable base."