November 8, 5.30pm: DRAFT MAILBAG

Sorry for the long time between mailbag updates - hopefully you've had your fix of draft news and whispers via the podcast and all of our coverage on AFL.com.au. Anyway, this will be our final draft mailbag for 2015 - from now, give us a follow on Twitter and fire away your questions there.

Josh Dunkley is a hard player to put into a draft range. His inconsistent season means he is a difficult one for recruiters to judge, with some seeing him as a top-20 pick and others viewing him closer to pick 40 or so. He has two more weeks to make a decision as to whether he will nominate for the Sydney Swans as a father-son pick or not, with the final deadline coming on November 20, just four days before the NAB AFL Draft. As for the Eagles, you'd think they would look at him with picks 23 and 31, but given his outwardness about being keen to stay in Victoria, it would be an interesting choice.

Because of his speed and pace, Alex Morgan is an appealing prospect for clubs. He won the 20-metre sprint test at last month's NAB AFL Draft Combine with a time of 2.88 seconds, and he enjoyed an impressive few days in front of clubs. He uses his speed in games, too, quickly pushing through traffic and delivering the ball well on both feet. Morgan was eligible for last year's NAB AFL Draft but pulled out of the Oakleigh Chargers program after losing his enjoyment in the game. But after recapturing it towards the end of the season, he returned to the Chargers and played there this year in between a couple of hamstring injuries. He should be in the 25-40 draft range, so might come into the Bombers' thinking in the second round as they try to find pace.

I think it's unlikely Charlie Curnow will be available at pick 8, with Melbourne and Essendon strongly linked to him with their two selections each. Key forward Sam Weideman has also been linked to both clubs and would also seem unlikely to be available at the Blues' pick. If not for injury, I think he would have been a near certainty to be drafted in the top-three this year (and he still might). Aaron Francis seems the most likely to be available at pick 8, with Essendon and Gold Coast the main threats to stop him from being there at the Blues' second selection. Harry McKay is also a chance to come into their thinking, as another exciting tall prospect. The Crows - with selections 9 and 13 - have also been linked to McKay.

Next year's draft class looks good, but at the moment it's more the smaller midfield types who have the runs on the board so far. Ben Ainsworth, Sam Petrevski-Seton, Will Brodie and Jy Simpkin are among some of the players who have performed well as bottom-agers this year, and look likely to be early selections next season. There will be a number of others emerge, but at this stage Jarrod Berry and Harrison Macreadie are among the most exciting taller prospects. This year differs in that the top end of the draft is full of key position players, like Jacob Weitering, Josh Schache, Sam Weideman, Harry McKay and Aaron Francis.

The Western Bulldogs made the call to push back down the draft order after originally holding pick 11 and turn that selection into two second-round picks, where some good players should be available. Key defender Ben McKay is a chance in this range after an impressive back half of the season, while Darcy Tucker might also be in the mix after training with the Dogs earlier this year. Callum Ah Chee is a possibility to still be around at their picks, while I wouldn't count out Mason Redman as a possibility at this range as well. The South Australian is a classy medium forward who is pretty smart around goals, and is a nice size at 187cm.

September 16, 1.30pm: DRAFT MAILBAG

We're right near the end of the under-18 season, so most draftees have stopped playing. It means the performances of the players are still out there in the finals carry a little more weight. Which is why the showing by Wayne Milera at SANFL level last week was huge. Milera, a classy half-forward, kicked three goals from 17 disposals to be a matchwinner for Central District in its semi-final. He has really shot up in the past couple of months to be a contender for the top-10 in some recruiters' eyes.

Reuben William and Mabior Chol are both Queensland prospects who are eligible to join the Brisbane Lions under the academy rules. I rate William as the better chance to be taken in the national draft: he's a bit more consistent and seems to have a very good natural flow for the game across half-back. Chol does some spectacular things through the ruck, and has a great leap and long left-foot kick. I'd expect both of the Sudanese prospects find their way onto an AFL list (perhaps Chol more as a rookie), and they will both be at next month's national NAB AFL Draft Combine at Etihad Stadium.

There aren't many small forwards in the draft, but Hisham Kerbatieth has shown over a couple of year that he knows where the goals are. He booted 24 goals in 14 games for the Calder Cannons and has a booming right-foot shot at goal when he's got his confidence up. He'll need to work on his aerobic base at the next level to be able to apply quality forward pressure, which is required by small forwards these days. One who could burst onto the scene and make an impact is Tom Papley, who booted 33 goals from 15 games in the TAC Cup this year. He's the grandson of former South Melbourne player Max Papley. It's also worth noting Daniel Rioli in this bracket, who kicked four goals for North Ballarat in their last final and has some class.

As for your second question, there's been a lot of interest in Clayton Oliver in the past couple of months. He won the TAC Cup's Morrish Medal over the weekend after a super second half of the season, and continued to perform deep into September with his Murray Bushrangers. Showing his overall midfield quality on the weekend, he had 21 disposals, 10 tackles and 7 clearances. What I like about him is his burst of speed out of the stoppages: he plays a bit like Patrick Cripps, but seems to have more upside in terms of his natural breakaway pace in the first few metres. Not sure if he's done enough to displace the guys in the top 10 - I think more likely to be late first round or early second.

Ah, the father-sons! Richmond now holds pick 12 as its first-rounder after losing the elimination final last week, and if it doesn't trade it during the exchange period there will be a lot of good choices at that range. Is it a tad too early for Josh Dunkley considering his season and form throughout? Perhaps he sits a little further back now, but he has left a very good impression throughout the year after training there at different stages. A decision on whether he nominates the Swans as his preference is unlikely to come before next month's trade period. It's the third straight year the Tigers hold pick 12 after taking Ben Lennon (in 2013) and Corey Ellis (last year) in that position.

Bailey Rice is also keeping his cards close to his chest. He has the choice of nominating either the Blues or the Saints under the father-son rule, but under new rules can also essentially nominate for both clubs after a tweak of the father-son rules and bidding system. He will still need to put in a preferred club, but if they choose not to match a bid for him on draft night, then the secondary club will be able to do so. He has spent time with both clubs across 2015, and grew up a Carlton supporter where his father Dean is a premiership player. But the Saints have given him something to think about. At the right price (ie. a bid around the 25 mark) he would be a nice pick-up as a rebounding half-back.

There aren't too many holes on West Coast's list, which is probably obvious given they appear headed for this year's Grand Final. An extra key back might be handy but the Eagles have withstood the pressure of losing some of those types this season, and they are heavy on forwards and rucks. You can never have enough hard running, tough and smart midfielders, which makes Ryan Clarke someone who should come into their thinking in the 15-20 range. Clarke has had a brilliant couple of weeks for the Eastern Ranges at TAC Cup level, kicking four goals from the middle in their elimination final win, and last week collecting a game-high 30 touches in the Ranges' semi-final win. He has been too hard to catch: he just keeps running and he likes to carry the ball. Clarke won't last too much longer than pick 20.

The main area of the Dogs' list that needs bolstering is finding a ruckman/forward type, but that seems more likely to happen through the free agency or trade period than by going to the draft. They could add to their tall defensive stocks, but did bring in Zaine Cordy last year as a father-son recruit and he has shown enough to make you think he'll be a good player. Kieran Collins at pick 11 might be a bit too high for some, but might be around the right mark for others. Former Hawthorn recruiter Gary Buckenara told the Road to the Draft podcast recently he ranked Collins as the third best player in the pool. Darcy Tucker seems likely to be available at that sort of pick, and would be a good selection to bring in as a developing half-back. He trained with the Dogs as part of the NAB AFL Academy program and impressed many there.