The Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period has come to a close and Essendon’s picks are now officially locked in for next month’s National Draft. 

In addition to holding rights to the No.1 pick for just the second time in Club history, busy trading also saw the Bombers acquire pick No.17 from Hawthorn (adjusted after compensation picks). 

The Dons also managed to keep hold of a pick in the 20s after sending away picks No.21 and 27 to Brisbane in exchange for the services of quality half back Keidean Coleman and pick No.25. 

With the next two drafts set to be heavily affected by the arrival of Tasmania, the Bombers have been proactive. As well as holding their own first and second-round picks for 2027 and ’28, other clubs' picks have now been acquired via this year’s trades.

From the Jordan Ridley-Jack Bowes trade, the Club claimed Geelong’s 2027 first-round selection while also getting a hold of the Hawks’ second-rounder in that draft from Zach Merrett’s departure. 

“We'll still continue to do a lot of work to see if there are opportunities to maximise our draft hand this year. But we feel like even if we hold, we're in a really good spot,” GM of List and Recruiting Matt Rosa said. 

“We’ll continue to work really hard to get to know the players and their families, and the good thing is we've still got some time, so we'll work through our final order, and everyone will sort of get away for a little bit, do their independent rankings, and then we'll come back together and really get set leading into an exciting draft night.”

See below for Essendon’s picks in the next three drafts, subject to change on the first night of the 2026 Telstra AFL Draft (Thursday, November 19).

2026: No.1, 17, 25, 80
2027: Two first-round picks (one tied to Geelong), second-round pick, third-round pick, fourth-round pick
2028: First-round pick, two second-round picks (one tied to Hawthorn), third-round pick