Out of our new listed draftees, it's hard to put them against each other because they all play such different roles.
Howe I see as a Birchall type, but we'll mold him into a big-bodied midfielder (that was what Graham Wright said). That's the whole reason we picked him-towards the latter end of the season, he went from half-back to midfield and was pretty darn solid in both his positions. He's an extremely good decision maker and is a great reader of the footy, not to mention an immaculate kick. Playing the majority of the time as a defender, his weakness is that he's not particularly good one on one and can't really completely nullify his opponent. However, keep in mind that he was playing on "guerrilla forwards" (he was the CHB) and a move to the midfield would remove the need for him to play and opponents much taller than him. I think he's our template on Nat Fyfe, but has his own pros and cons. If he's anywhere near Fyfe we'll be extremely happy.
Teia Miles is really flexible. His highlights have been in the back-line, forward-line and midfield: and all have looked extremely impressive. Seems very quick and agile in bursts of play. Like Poppy, he always throws himself at the contests despite his small size. He's really good at clearances, and is probably as close to an inside midfielder as you can get. However, at this point he doesnt have the tricks or "freak" abilities to set him apart (he has really good leadership qualities though). Plenty of upside, and is compared to Luke Ball.
Marc Pittonet is the opposite of a ruckman. He makes smart decisions, and is extremely good at disposals for his size. Being 106kg and 202cm, finishing equal second in the clean hands test is astounding. He's not overly quick, but he's also not overly slow. Not to mention, he is perhaps the most immaculate tap ruckman I have ever seen. Imagine the ball being given to our players of a silver platter-that's what this kid can do. His ability to run out a game borders on weak, as his beep test and 3km time trials were actually quite bad-but with proper work ethic, endurance can be improved. Just look at Big Boy. His core weaknesses are poor marking and his work up forward-he averages only 3 marks per game, 1 contested. He only had 3 shots on goal throughout the year, admittedly spending almost 90 percent of game time in the midfield. Both these skills players can develop and improve: footballs smarts and natural ability generally cannot. Marc Pittonet seems to be a solid ruckman in the making, and perhaps one of the best if he really pushes himself (if we dont trade him when he's finally ready) and reminds me a lot of Dean Cox.
Overall, I'm making the call that Daniel Howe will become the best out of them all, but in the area we want him to be. Namely, a contested big bodied midfield that can really have a sway on the final outcome of a game. Teia Miles I can see being a carbon copy of Pops, and Marc Pittonet has a lot of potential to provide something we haven't had in a long time-dominance in the ruck concerning taps to advantage. But I feel like Daniel Howe has the potential to physically impose himself on the game, thus becoming the "best" of the bunch.
Rookie List is hard to tell: all of these players need to work on their gamestyles and fitness before they get a game, and all of them have the potential to become senior players.
Jared Hardsity is a hardworking stocky midfielder. You'll probably notice a bit of Dewey about him (puppy fat), and at 86kg he may be too big. Im expecting him to turn the fat into bulk and muscle, but I wound honestly love it if he kept the weight. For his size he runs a great beep test, 15.4, which makes him extremely good over a long period of time. 2.95 time in the 20 metre sprint means he isn't bad on the burst either. He also averages 27 disposals, which is freakish. Christian Petracca averages 25: think about that. What lets him down is his "effectiveness" per disposal: he gets a lot of the ball, but it doesn't always translate to impact. He can still impact a game, but he definitely needs to work on this area ala Will Langford. Work on it a lot. Despite his good athletic times, he also seemed to be one of the more sluggish players in the Under 18 Championships and looked a bit slow. However, his statistics prove he has all the attributes to be a star players in the making and after some solid work in the gym; turning the fat into pure muscle: and improving some aspects of his game he'll become an extremely solid players.
Big risk provides big reward. That's what the club was gunning for with Jermaine Miller-Lewis-the kid can seriously play. Awarded the Kevin Sheenan medal in 2012. He has all the attributes: he's athletic. Strong on the lead, and is a great contested mark. Has genuine football skills and passion, and can read the football as if it were on a string. His speed and agility, like generally all Aboriginal players, is one of his biggest strengths and he is described as a player who "can make something out of nothing". Everything about him screams Lance Franklin. The downside: he's an unproven talent. I don't think he's played football at all this season due to stress fractures in his shins, which means that we don't have a scope on how much he's improved and how he does on a larger and more serious stage. He also sometimes fades out of games, but more often than not (when he's playing) he's doing something freakish whether it be darting through packs of players or taking a pack mark, playing on then kicking the goal. He's a risk-but the reward we could get out of him is a smaller Lance Franklin. In the rookie draft.
I cant comment on Langford, because I don't know much about him and I'm too tired to research, but if he was training at the club prior to being selected and Graham Wright is excited about him then I'm excited too. The amount of time our selectors have let us down compared to how many times they've succeeded is extremely low. Best of luck to him, seems to be a raw forward with talent and good athletic capabilities.
Overall, Jermaine Miller-Lewis is the one that (in my opinion) has the largest potential to become the best of the bunch. Hardisty, if he puts in the time, will be an almost guaranteed solid player that can contribute week in week out with fantastic and consistent games. Langford could, and reminds me of, a Gunston. If he's half as good he should hold his head up high. But Jermaine Miller-Leiws: this kid is genuinely exciting. The type of kid who could win a game simply off his own boot if he needed to, the "X-Factor" that Rioli brings mixed with the athletic prowess of Franklin. Will he live up to the potential? It's anyone's guess, and in terms of assurance Hardisty is the best. But if we make the assumption that the glimpses Miller-Lewis has shown becomes reality-our future is bright. Blindingly so.
Summarized version of my wall of text, Daniel Howe and Jermaine Miller-Lewis are my predictions on who will become the best players of our selections. But honestly, all of them have the ability to contribute solidly to our club and maybe even break into the side if they try their hardest and constantly attempt to improve themselves as footballers rather.
~Sorry for any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors, I'm well and truly buggered. But my hands just wouldn't stop itching till I wrote my opinion on this matter. Curse you hands!