EVERY club has had them. The draft pick that, for one reason or another, didn’t quite work out.

But what of the players taken just one selection later? Were they on your club's radar as well? Did you zig, when you should have zagged?

With the luxury of hindsight, we've gone back through every draft since 2000 to find that one pick your club might like to have again, not taking into account specific list needs at the time.

WARNING: This may make for some hand-wringing reading. 

2000 NAB AFL Draft: Laurence Angwin (pick No.7), Daniel Motlop (pick No.8)

The 200cm Angwin failed to debut at the Crows and was later picked up by Carlton, managing just four games with off-field controversy surrounding him. North Melbourne had the next selection in 2000 and took Motlop with pick No.8, with the talented forward going on to play 130 games and kick 208 goals across his career at the Kangaroos and later at the Crows' arch-rivals Port Adelaide. He was a NAB AFL Rising Star nominee in 2003, the Power's leading goalkicker in 2008 and went on to represent Australia in the International Rules Series. - Chris Correia

2015 NAB AFL Draft: Josh Schache (pick No.2), Callum Mills (pick No.3), Clayton Oliver (pick No.4)

The Lions will look back on this draft and wonder what might have been with Schache failing to deliver on his potential. The key forward spent two years at the club before being traded to the Western Bulldogs for a lowly return of picks 25 and 40. While Sydney star Mills went next, he was essentially off limits to the Lions as an Academy selection, but Oliver would have slotted in nicely in Brisbane's midfield. The gun Demon took his game to a new level in 2021 to be a key player in the drought-breaking flag, as well as winning the AFLCA player of the year award to go with his two Therabody AFL All-Australians and two best and fairests. - Ben Sutton

2000 NAB AFL Draft: Trent Sporn (pick No.11), Shaun Burgoyne (pick No.12)

After being picked up by Carlton with pick No.11 in 2000, an injury-plagued career saw Sporn never truly reach his potential, with the defender playing 50 games and picking up a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination across his six seasons at the Blues. While 50 AFL games is nothing to sniff at, the next player picked in the 2000 draft turned into one of the all-time greats. With pick No.12, Port Adelaide drafted local product Burgoyne, who joined his brother Peter at the Power. Across nine seasons at Port and 12 at Hawthorn, Burgoyne played 407 games – the third-most of any VFL/AFL player. An Indigenous games record holder, 'Silk' won one premiership with Port in 2004 and another three at the Hawks between 2013 and 2015. - Sophie Welsh

2013 NAB AFL Draft: Nathan Freeman (pick No.10), Dom Sheed (pick No.11)

Here is the ultimate 'sliding doors' draft pick. As Sheed's gun-barrel straight drop-punt sailed through the goals in that 2018 Toyota AFL Grand Final to hand West Coast a famous victory over the Pies, there were plenty of numb Collingwood fans and officials. But wonder if the minds of any of the Magpies' inner-sanctum wandered back to that 2013 draft and recalled leaving Sheed on the table as they opted for the injury-cursed Freeman. Ouch. Freeman joined St Kilda at the end of 2015 and was delisted in 2018, the very year Sheed etched his name into the history books and sank a dagger into the heart of the Collingwood faithful. - Cameron Noakes

2000 NAB AFL Draft: James Davies (pick No.17), Daniel Kerr (pick No.18)

A surprise first-round selection after only playing school footy in his draft year, Davies ran out just three times in red and black before being delisted in 2004. West Coast swooped on Kerr with the next pick, with the gut-busting onballer going on to play 220 games and kick 122 goals, finishing second in the NAB AFL Rising Star in 2001, claiming a premiership in 2006 and making the Therabody AFL All-Australian team the following year. He also finished in the top three in the Brownlow Medal in three consecutive seasons from 2005-2007 and won the Goal of the Year in 2003 for his phenomenal five-bounce effort from half-back in a Derby against Fremantle. - Brandon Cohen

2012 NAB AFL Draft: Josh Simpson (pick No.17), Brodie Grundy (pick No.18)

Forward Simpson managed just two games in two seasons after several off-field issues and was delisted by the Dockers in 2014. The Magpies swooped on former basketballer Grundy with the very next pick, with the 203cm ruck going on to become one of the best big men in the modern game. Grundy is now a two-time Therabody AFL All-Australian and dual Copeland Trophy winner, tied to the Magpies until 2027 after signing a multimillion-dollar contract last year. Could you imagine how well a prime Aaron Sandilands and Grundy combination would have fared? - Chris Correia

2006 NAB AFL Draft: Nathan Djerrkura (pick No.25), Shane Edwards (pick No.26)

The Cats' haul in 2006 features Joel Selwood and Tom Hawkins, but their second-round pick in Djerrkura never had an impact. He managed just four games in four years at Geelong before playing 21 in two years at the Dogs. Richmond had the next pick in 2006 and pounced on Edwards, who would go on to be one of the club's best and most respected players. He was a key player in the Tigers' three flags in the past five years and was also a Therabody AFL All-Australian in 2018. Could a prime Edwards have made the difference for the Cats in the past decade of near misses? - Ben Sutton

2010 NAB AFL Draft: Sam Day (pick No.3), Andrew Gaff (pick No.4)

Ahead of its entry into the AFL in 2011, Gold Coast had six picks inside the top 10 in the 2010 national draft. With the Suns drafting David Swallow, Harley Bennell and Day with their first three selections, Gaff was still available at pick No.4 and the Eagles swooped. A dual Therabody AFL All-Australian widely regarded as one of the competition's premier wingers, Gaff has played 236 games for West Coast so far and amassed 109 Brownlow Medal votes. But Gaff wasn't the only eventual club champion the Suns missed out on that year – they picked up Josh Caddy with their next draft selection (pick No.7), while the Bombers selected their future captain Dyson Heppell with pick No.8. - Sophie Welsh

2011 NAB AFL Draft: Matthew Buntine (pick No.5), Chad Wingard (pick No.6)

Here's the thing about pick No.6 in the draft – it has been notoriously cursed for many a year and only recently its fortunes have seemed to have changed with 2018's pick six Ben King leading the way. So just imagine, however, if you had virtually every single pick in the top 15 of the 2011 draft, including eight inside the top 10 (but NOT pick six) … odds would suggest you couldn't miss. But guess what! This is the year the draft gods flipped the script on its head and pick six is the actual gold. Here is how it played out for the Giants with hindsight on our side: Jon Patton (pick No.1 and retired), Stephen Coniglio (pick No.2 and fighting a serious form slump), Dom Tyson (pick three, traded to Melbourne then North then delisted this year), Will Hoskin-Elliott (pick four and at Collingwood), Buntine (pick five and delisted this year), and there was the Chad – quickly snapped up by Port Adelaide and in the Therabody AFL All-Australian team two years later. To be fair, GWS made up for it with its very next pick (Nick Haynes), but gee, they had a few fresh-air shots early doors. - Cameron Noakes

2006 NAB AFL Draft: Mitch Thorp (pick No.6), Joel Selwood (pick No.7)

Hailing from Tasmania, Thorp arrived at the Hawks with plenty of hype. Unfortunately, the 194cm key forward played just two senior games in three years after poor form and serious injury issues conspired against him. One pick later, Geelong snapped up Selwood, with the 33-year-old now regarded as one of the club's greatest players. Among his many accolades, Selwood is a three-time premiership player, six-time Therabody AFL All-Australian, triple club best and fairest and has been named the AFLPA's most courageous player on four occasions. Currently Geelong's games record-holder (334), he is also just three games away from breaking Stephen Kernahan's VFL/AFL record of 226 matches as captain. - Brandon Cohen

2009 NAB AFL Draft: Jack Trengove (pick No.2), Dustin Martin (pick No.3)

The Demons had a monopoly on the first two picks and claimed Tom Scully with pick No.1, followed by Trengove. The latter went on to become the youngest captain in VFL/AFL history and played 89 games at Melbourne and later Port Adelaide in a much-maligned career. But there's no doubt about next on the list, who has become one of the greatest players of all-time. Superstar Martin singlehandedly led Richmond to three premierships, claiming all three Norm Smith Medals, as well as adding a Brownlow Medal, two Jack Dyer Medals and four Therabody AFL All-Australian jackets along the way. - Chris Correia

2017 NAB AFL Draft: Will Walker (pick No.23), Tim Kelly (pick No.24)

The Roos took a punt on speedy Walker with their second pick in 2017, but he never had a decent run at it with injuries playing a part in why he managed just six games in four years at the club. The next pick in 2017 went to the Cats and they took a much more successful punt on mature-aged prospect Kelly. The silky midfielder made an instant impact in his two years at Geelong, including winning selection in the 2019 Therabody AFL All-Australian team and finishing top five in the Brownlow. While the Cats were unable to keep him, they received a bounty of draft picks in a trade for West Coast at the end of 2019. - Ben Sutton

2007 NAB AFL Draft: Matthew Lobbe (pick No.16), Harry Taylor (pick No.17)

Selected with pick No.16 in the 2007 draft, ruckman Lobbe played 92 games for Port Adelaide, before crossing to Carlton where he managed another eight games. While 100 AFL games is no mean feat, the player selected after Lobbe in the draft went on to have a storied career at Geelong. Drafted with pick No.17 at the age of 21, Taylor went on to play 280 games in the hoops across 13 seasons, winning two premierships and being awarded two Therabody AFL All-Australian blazers. - Sophie Welsh

2004 NAB AFL Draft: Richard Tambling (pick No.4), Lance Franklin (pick No.5)

Arguably the greatest coup in AFL draft history, the Hawks pinched Franklin from under Richmond's nose after surprising everyone with their selection of fellow tall forward Jarryd Roughead at pick No.2. A star junior in the Northern Territory, Tambling went on to play 108 games for the Tigers before being traded to Adelaide, where he featured another 16 times. In Franklin, however, the Hawks snared one of the game's all-time greats. In nine seasons in brown and gold, 'Buddy' won two premierships, four Therabody AFL All-Australian jackets, two Coleman Medals and two Goal of the Year awards. After his move to Sydney in 2013 on a mega nine-year deal, he has added another two Colemans and four All-Australians and is only five goals away from becoming just the sixth man to kick 1000 goals in VFL/AFL history. Another 'what could have been' moment for the Tigers came in 2009, when they picked up Ben Griffiths at No.19, one spot ahead of Fremantle's dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe. - Brandon Cohen

2014 NAB AFL Draft: Paddy McCartin (pick No.1), Christian Petracca (pick No.2)

A highly touted prospect, St Kilda drafted McCartin as the heir apparent to generational full-forward Nick Riewoldt, but a series of concussions meant McCartin never fulfilled his potential. Taken with the next pick in 2014, Petracca now looks like the generational talent the Saints needed. Developing into one of the game's stars, dual Therabody AFL All-Australian Petracca is a midfield bull and was rewarded for his stellar performance in Melbourne's drought-breaking premiership with the Norm Smith Medal. However, Petracca isn't the only 2021 Toyota AFL Grand Final player who could have been a Saint – Jack Billings was drafted with pick No.3 in 2013, while future captain, four-time All-Australian and premiership player Marcus Bontempelli was selected by the Western Bulldogs with pick No.4. - Sophie Welsh

2007 NAB AFL Draft: Patrick Veszpremi (pick No.11), Cyril Rioli (pick No.12)

When Hawthorn called Rioli's name in 2007 immediately after Sydney's pick, surely Swans officials murmured, 'What have we done', crossed a finger or two, and silently prayed. Of course, those prayers fell on deaf ears. Rioli would become one of the greatest small forwards of all time with three flags to his name and a Norm Smith Medal, Veszpremi would last just three years at Sydney before joining the Bulldogs and hanging up the boots at the end of 2013. Curiously, the Swans did pick up Nick Smith, Rioli's Scotch College teammate and captain, in the rookie draft. Just maybe they should have chatted with Nick about Cyril's talents prior to that national draft. - Cameron Noakes

2008 NAB AFL Draft: Jordan Jones (pick No.52), Michael Walters (pick No.53)

The Eagles have a strong history of nailing local products, but will look back on 2008 with envy of crosstown rivals Fremantle. West Coast grabbed Victorian Jones with their fifth pick of the draft and the key back managed just two games in three years. Players taken in the 50s rarely turn out to be raging successes, but the Dockers found a beauty in Walters at No.53. The star forward is a Therabody AFL All-Australian and has won the club's goalkicking award five times in his career. Perhaps the Eagles should have looked closer to home with Walters growing up on the same street as Nic Naitanui, who was taken with pick No.2 in that draft. - Ben Sutton

2002 NAB AFL Draft: Tim Walsh (pick No.4), Jarrad McVeigh (pick No.5)

A 196cm key-position player, Walsh's career never got off the ground after a series of injuries. The promising forward kicked a goal in his one and only game for the Dogs in 2005 but was delisted after five seasons. Sydney jumped on local boy McVeigh with the next selection and he didn't disappoint. McVeigh played 325 games in the red and white, leading the club to premiership glory in 2012 during his six-year stint as captain. A two-time winner of the Bob Skilton Medal, he also made the Therabody AFL All-Australian team in 2013 and represented Australia in the International Rules Series. - Brandon Cohen