Selected at number 16, he was largely ignored behind the superstar recruits such as Chris Judd, Luke Ball, Jimmy Bartel and Luke Hodge.
And that trend has largely continued at Hawthorn.
Unlike some of his high profile teammates, Ladson has been doing his job without fanfare or fuss for years now. And rather than crave the media spotlight, he's happy to claim a certain amount of anonymity.
"To be honest I don't get asked to do media and that's probably a good thing," Ladson says.
"People don't see me as the type of player for that stuff and I've got no issue with that. It suits me just fine.
"I just like going about my business and doing what I need to do for the team. That's what it's all about."
That's not to say that Ladson doesn't experience recognition from fans from time to time. And when it happens – perhaps because he's not constantly bombarded – the 24-year-old enjoys it.
"It always dumbfounds me when someone recognises me. But I'm always happy to have a chat when they do. We've got some great supporters, so when they do approach you, you always take a bit of time out to chat to them."
One Hawk who certainly possesses one of the higher profiles is Shane Crawford. This weekend the club veteran celebrates his 300th game when the Hawks' take on the Brisbane Lions at Aurora Stadium.
Ladson says the Brownlow medallist's milestone means the Hawks are eager to celebrate with a win.
"We really want to get a win for Shane because he's been outstanding for our football club and for the AFL in general," Ladson says.
"He's put so much work into not only getting himself right and helping the team, but the way he has helped individuals players through training sessions over the years is amazing."
The clash against the Lions starts a four-week spell against sides outside the eight, but Ladson insists that the Hawks won't be taking anything for granted.
"We're playing teams who are vying for a spot in the eight and pushing for finals so they're not going to be easy games. What we want to do over the next four weeks is find our form and play some consistent football going into finals."
He says the playing group is trying not to look any further than the next month, although that's difficult with the team having had their first taste of September football last year since 2001.
"We don't talk about finals even though we know they're coming. We've just got to concentrate on the next four weeks."
