MELBOURNE'S pick No.3 was considered the first 'live' pick of this year's NAB AFL Draft.
With Gold Coast set on selecting Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson with the opening two selections, it left the Dees to make things interesting at No.3.
And they did, taking West Australian ruckman Luke Jackson with the choice. He's the first ruckman to be a top-10 pick since Billy Longer in 2011.
But what would other clubs have done? AFL.com.au canvassed recruiters and list managers from 12 other clubs about who they would have taken if they held the pick.
Across two-thirds of the competition, six clubs said they would take Hayden Young, four said they'd go with Jackson and two said they would choose Tom Green.
Club 1 – Hayden Young
"Hayden Young. He's an elite ball user and there's a premium on that these days. If there's any knock it's maybe his real genuine leg speed, but he gets away with it through elite agility. He takes metres with his ball use and kicking rather than with pace. He's a jet."
>> The 2019 NAB AFL Draft runs from November 27-28. Follow all the latest news in the draft hub
Club 2 – Hayden Young
"It's a great question and a huge call. My initial thought would be that Young fits the bill best. I reckon with Melbourne's list they could really do with Young or Lachie Ash off half-back, particularly with Michael Hibberd getting to late in his career."
Club 3 – Luke Jackson
"I'd be taking Luke Jackson every day. And I'd be taking him at pick No.2, too, behind Rowell. If you charted his improvement over the past 12 months, it's been massive. Even the fact he hasn't played much footy, his ability to translate qualities from the highest level at his age of another sport (basketball) into another code has been amazing. His aerial work is outstanding."
Club 4 – Hayden Young
"Hayden Young by the length of the Flemington straight. He might end up the second-best player from this draft, and maybe even the best. He's not just a good kick – he doesn't force the ball into bad areas, ever. He opens up the ground with his disposal. His game in the midfield late in the season saw him compared to Scott Pendlebury and although it was only one game, it was spot on."
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Club 5 – Luke Jackson
"I'd be weighing up Young, Lachie Ash and Luke Jackson, but I think we'd end up going with Jackson. He just might be so good that you have to take him at that pick, even if he's not exactly what you need right now. I like that he gets involved around the ground, he averaged nearly 20 touches in the colts this year. The Brodie Grundy comparisons are right."
Club 6 – Hayden Young
"It's Hayden Young. I'm a pretty big fan. For where the game's at now he just ticks so many boxes. He's a good runner, he's a good kick with good depth, and he can play in a number of roles. He gives you everything you'd want for where the game's headed."
>> Follow the 2019 NAB AFL Draft on Fox Footy from 6.30pm AEDT on Wednesday, November 27 and Thursday, November 28. Not a Foxtel or Kayo subscriber? Cal Twomey, Nat Edwards, Riley Beveridge and Mitch Cleary bring you Draft Night Live on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App, from 6.30pm AEDT on Wednesday, November 27.
Club 7 – Luke Jackson
"We would take Luke Jackson. We think it's just so hard to find a player like him and with his qualities. I'm not too worried about him not being 200cm (Jackson is listed at 199cm), he's big enough and what he does is very different. Behind him, from picks No.4-9, are all very open."
Club 8 – Hayden Young
"I'd pick Hayden Young. That's what I would do for my team, and if I was in Melbourne's position as well. They could do with a beautiful kicker off half-back. But it's not a really obvious call there. I would definitely be tempted to pick Luke Jackson, but it would take a lot of courage to do it. He intrigues me and it's rare what he can do at his size."
Club 9 – Tom Green
"We never got to the point of really nailing it down, but I think we would probably have Tom Green as the No.3 on our board. Putting aside the Academy stuff, he was probably there for us. It would be out of him and Lachie Ash."
Club 10 – Tom Green
"We would be trying to take Tom Green at No.3. He's ranked third on our list. He's had an outstanding season."
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Club 11 – Luke Jackson
"Luke Jackson in a heartbeat. He's a rare player. He'll play in the ruck, but his follow-up, his ground-ball work, and his competitiveness is at a whole other level. The score with him is enormous."
Club 12 – Hayden Young
"I'd probably go with Hayden Young. He's the best kick we've seen in a long, long time. There's not much he hasn't achieved so far in his junior career."
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