Adelaide has had incredible success in the Rookie and Pre-season Drafts, landing several Club greats and even a number of current stars.
With pick No.21 in the 1995 Pre-season Draft, the Crows selected a quiet country kid who would go on to become a 300-game player in Tyson Edwards.
Regarded as one of the most durable and underrated midfielders in AFL history, Edwards played 321 games for the Crows, ranked second all-time at the Club.
A dual premiership player, Edwards finished runner-up in Adelaide’s Club Champion award on three occasions and polled in the top 10 in 11 of his 16 AFL seasons as a mark of his incredible consistency. He was inducted into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Former captain Simon Goodwin was another product of the Pre-season Draft.
Taken with the Crows’ second selection (pick No.18) in the 1996 Pre-season Draft, Goodwin boasts a list of accolades like few others.
A five-time All Australian (2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2009), a three-time time Club Champion (2000, 2005, 2006) and a dual premiership player (1997, 1998), Goodwin played 275 games for the Crows - ranked sixth all-time at Adelaide.
Working alongside Edwards, Mark Ricciuto and Andrew McLeod, Goodwin was a crucial cog in arguably the most potent midfield in Crows’ history. He served as captain of the Adelaide Football Club from 2008 until his retirement at the end of the 2010 AFL season.
Early in the 2000s, Adelaide made two rookie selections that would solidify its defence for over a decade.
The Crows landed Michael Doughty from South Adelaide with their first pick in the 2000 Rookie Draft.
The no-nonsense utility was elevated to the senior list in his first season in the squad and made his AFL debut wearing the No.41 in Round Six.
He managed just five games in his first two years, but then cemented his place in Adelaide's lineup in 2002 and played every game of the season, including three finals.
The durable Doughty remained a regular in Adelaide's starting side for the next decade playing as a run-with midfielder and a versatile backman, but he also knew how to find the ball himself. The hard-working Crow gathered a career-best 38 possessions in Adelaide's loss to Brisbane at the Gabba in Round 13, 2008.
He retired at the end of Season 2012 after 231 games in the tri-colours.
Selected from West Adelaide with pick No.40, Ben Rutten made his AFL debut with the Crows in 2003, although he initally played as a forward and kicked three goals with his first three kicks.
However, Rutten’s forward line career was short-lived, and it wasn’t long before he made his name in defence, anchoring Adelaide's backline alongside Doughty for the majority of his career.
‘Truck’ was rewarded with All Australian selection in 2005 went on to play 229 games with the Crows before retiring at the end of the 2014 season.
Adelaide’s Pre-season and Rookie Draft successes are not only limited to the past.
Rory Laird has developed into one of the finest small defenders in the AFL and was originally recruited from West Adelaide with pick No.5 in the 2012 Rookie Draft.
After being elevated to the senior list in 2013, Laird made his debut in Round Four and played 18 games in his first AFL season.
Laird had a breakout season in 2015, finishing runner-up in the Crows Club Champion award and was selected in the 40-man All Australian squad. He has also twice earned selection in the AFL Player’s Association Best 22 under 22.
At just 22 years of age, Laird still has his best footy ahead of him.
