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Dogs recruiting manager Simon Dalrymple has revealed that Jake Stringer (the No.5 pick) has the potential to be a versatile forward-midfielder in the mould of Adam Goodes and Matthew Pavlich, classy left-footed midfielder Jackson Macrae (No.6) has similar poise to Scott Pendlebury, while diminutive onballer Nathan Hrovat (No.21) shares traits with Sam Mitchell.
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Dalrymple said the trio - along with father-son selection Lachie Hunter and another left-footed midfielder Josh Prudden (pick 50) - could stake claims to make their AFL debuts next season. But he insisted they wouldn’t be thrown to the wolves.
"They're long-term investments, so we'll just let them develop. And if they’re ready, they'll pick themselves," he told AFL.com.au.
"But history would say that, based on the last 12 months, there's a chance for a number of them to play (next year)."
Prized draftees Stringer and Macrae were particularly rare talents, Dalrymple said, adding that Stringer was "almost unique".
"There's not many 191-centimetre, 90-odd kilo players who can play midfield and forward, and play them both very well," he said.
"Jake's strong enough to take contested marks, and agile enough to be good at ground level in terms of creativity, have an impact around stoppages and apply defensive pressure. I can’t think of many in the AFL, apart from Pavlich and Goodes, who can do that. "
Stringer also has the potential to intimidate opponents with his size and vigour.
"He just loves the physical contact, whether it be in the air, on the ground or tackling," Dalrymple said.
"In his VFL games this year he averaged seven tackles a game. He plays with a real presence that you don’t see very often in 18-year- olds."
The Bulldogs recruiter was particularly taken with Stringer's physicality in a willing Bendigo league match for Eaglehawk.
"He played at full-forward, and it was old-fashioned country footy with a bit of tension between the two teams, but he was right in the thick of the action," he recalled.
"I left that game thinking, 'You just don’t see that in players so young.' Some blokes are all bluff and no substance, but Jake crashes in when it's his turn to go, he lays tackles and is very physical."
Dalrymple said Stringer's personality matches his playing style, and that he possessed genuine leadership qualities, adding: "He's the type of person who attracts people and makes them want to follow him."
Despite all this, the Dogs feel Stringer has enormous scope for development, given his well-documented leg problem, less-than-ideal rehabilitation, limited training and the fact he divided his time among several teams: Eaglehawk, TAC Cup side Bendigo Pioneers, VFL club Bendigo Gold and the Vic Country under-18 side.
"We're confident that when he gets into a professional AFL program, he'll make really strong progress," Dalrymple said.
Stringer's formerly badly broken leg had been "ticked off" by the club's medical staff, he said.
"If we felt there were going to be ongoing issues with his leg, he wouldn’t be at our club," he said.
"The leg has healed really well. Now it's a matter of slightly changing his running gait bio-mechanically, and getting some work into his body with some running and lifting that he hasn’t been able to do this year.
"His running capacity was an issue this year, but that was a result of doing very little training because he was very much a week-to-week proposition. But we aim to have AFL-like aerobic capacity within 12 months.
"He's also got to live the professional lifestyle. He's a Bendigo boy, so he has to adapt and fully commit himself to being a professional athlete. We'll support him to the hilt, but it has to come from within as well."
Macrae adds the kind of outside run and polish - along with mesmerising evasive skills and goalkicking ability - that the Bulldogs so desperately need.
"I see a little bit of a Pendlebury in him, in the way the game slows up when he gets the ball," Dalrymple said. "He's got poise in and around the contest that you don’t see too often.
"Regardless of the pressure and brutality around him, his creativity and decision-making with ball in hand is outstanding. I haven’t seen many like him in my time watching the TAC Cup. We think he'll be a super player for us."
Pocket rocket Hrovat is considered one of the steals of the draft. The Bulldogs ranked him in the low teens and they were ecstatic when he slipped through to pick 21 - a pick they wouldn’t have had if they hadn’t traded Brian Lake to Hawthorn.
He's small but compensates in other areas.
"He's just a few centimetres shorter than Sam Mitchell and I see a lot of similarities with his driven personality and inner confidence," Dalrymple said.
"He wins the ball inside and outside, is a good kick, and he's a real professional with great leadership skills. He'll be a terrific asset for the group as he develops as a young leader."
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
