April Power Rankings: Cochrane, Walker, Van Hattum - the names you need to know for 2026

There's been significant buzz around the 2026 AFL draft class for years, headlined by club-tied phenoms Dougie Cochrane and Cody Walker.

It's a unique grouping at the top of the crop including two rucks who have flexed their quality early in the season. Through the first month of the season there have already been early risers and an opening hitout for the AFL Academy is the perfect runway into the first top-20 power rankings of the new season.

North Melbourne VFL was far too strong for the Academy on Sunday, boasting half a team of AFL-listed prospects and running out winners by 71 points. But the signs of depth and class were evident throughout the day at Arden St with Kodah Edwards, Noah Williams, and Walker all solidifying their draft stock.

The Blues and Demons have traded into this year's draft with multiple first round picks, while the Suns shipped off their hand and are slated to enter the action in the fourth round.

These are ESPN's top prospects for April as we gain ground toward November's 2026 AFL Draft.

1. Dougie Cochrane (Port Adelaide NGA)

Central Districts/South Australia

FWD/MID, 195cm

There isn't much Dougie can't do on a footy field. At 195cm the athletic tall has played the majority of his juniors as a roaming key forward, providing outlets with his strong hands in the air and turning to go with a freewheeling flair. Cochrane is a booming kick of the football and such a difficult matchup thanks to his agility at ground level.

It's that navigation through traffic which makes some recruiters believe he will become a midfielder in time, though his 2026 plans have been put on the backburner after undergoing knee surgery to address tendinitis. Cochrane will be in a race to return for the national championships but would still deserve a bid at no. 1 if he didn't play a game all season. Given mooted draft changes, Port Adelaide will be scrambling to find the points to match in the unlikely event Zak Butters did not leave the club at the end of the season.

2. Harry Van Hattum

Northern Knights/Vic Metro

RUC/FWD, 205cm

There's an aura around Van Hattum on the footy field. Standing at 205cm the ruck presents as a man mountain, physically developed to take on senior footballers right away. But it's the elite vertical leap and dexterity in the contest which offers untapped upside for the Knight. He's a good kick in space and is entrusted with the ball by teammates kicking inside 50, plus can make an impact up forward with his gravity consistently attracting multiple defenders. Van Hattum's follow-up work is reminiscent of Brodie Grundy's style of play and his hot start to 2026 is vaulting him up big boards.

3. Cody Walker (Carlton father-son)

Bendigo Pioneers/Vic Country

MID, 184cm

A name on the lips of recruiters since starring performances at the u16 championships, Walker is high-flying Blue Andrew's son and possesses that elite athletic pedigree. Where he differs is his contested work; Walker is a frenetic presence at stoppages, scrapping for hard balls and swooping on loose balls with speed and balance.

He has a unique running gait with long strides and a hunched back, and gains territory by exiting the stoppage into space and launching inside 50. The Pioneer has drawn significant attention from opposition teams and will do so all year as he continues to accumulate through the midfield. Carlton is well placed to match a bid on its father-son star with Sydney's first round pick in its hand, though is awaiting draft changes from the AFL.

4. Noah Williams

Geelong Falcons/Vic Country

DEF/MID, 177cm

The speed and evasive composure of Williams caught the eye in a best on ground performance at the Futures game at the MCG last September, and he backed it up with best on ground honours for the Academy on Sunday.

A creative halfback in the past, the Falcon has moved on-ball to great effect this season where his speed-endurance blend is always on show and his defensive aptitude matches the clinches. He creates time to use his preferred left with clean hands and shifty movement, always on the move to collect the ball at full tilt. His early rise into the top five is in part thanks to the evolution of modern footy, where players who thrive in transition are at a premium.

5. Kodah Edwards

South Adelaide/South Australia

MID, 183cm

Edwards is a wrecking ball at stoppages, throwing himself into the clinches with little regard for his own safety. That courage is matched in the air where he plays above his size and often careens back with the footy to impact on contests he has no right being involved in. While he isn't the type to burst out of the contest with running bounces, his impact always shows up in clearance numbers as he finds teammates on the fly.

Edwards matches prolific stoppage work with eye-catching craft inside forward 50. He's strong in the air and smart at ground level to kick goals in bunches when resting deep, though his ball use in space continues to be his main challenge.

6. Arki Butler

Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro

MID/FWD, 182cm

There's a lot of Toby Greene in Sandringham's no. 4, who has stepped into the midfield after plying his trade to great effect across half forward until now. Butler reads the ball off hands superbly well and is a brilliant mark above his head, though hasn't been one touch at ground level to start the season. Up forward he's smart and classy around goals and can find a lot of the ball without being a focal point.

7. Marlon Neocleous

Gippsland Power/Vic Country

FWD/MID, 168cm

A late call-up to the Academy's games, Neocleous offers an abundance of energy and pizzazz as a small forward. He has tricks in the air and on the ground with a wicked sidestep and composure in front of goals. Growth in his game is coming further up the ground where he likes the ball in his hands and can pinpoint kicks through the corridor. Neocleous sits somewhere between Nick Watson and Lachy Dovaston as a highly-regarded small forward prospect at this early juncture.

8. Lucas Robinson (Fremantle NGA)

South Fremantle/Western Australia

MID, 191cm

Robinson is a big-bodied inside midfielder that thrives in the heat of the contest. He gets first hands on the ball with a big radius to snare the ball off taps and can handpass off either fist through physical pressure. Like all gun inside midfielders Robinson embraces contact well and stands up through tackles. Despite being overlooked for AFL Academy opportunities, his contest work and excellent aerial game around the ground gives him massive upside at the next level. A Dockers NGA prospect, Robinson has some traits similar to Nat Fyfe and is the best prospect to come out of the Wheatbelt since the Fremantle legend.

9. Ethan Herbert

North Adelaide/South Australia

RUC, 200cm

Herbert is a rangy ruck with great hands around the contest to involve himself in link-up play. He presents as a Tim English type with strong running power to present on leads around the ground, but he's also been overwhelming for opposition rucks in the contest so far too. It's been a massive start to his campaign with the Roosters - and glimpses of forward craft for the Academy were positive. Match-ups with Van Hattum and Benji Van Rooyen at the championships will go a long way to solidifying his draft stock.

10. Heath Mellody

Claremont/Western Australia

MID/DEF, 184cm

The ultra classy Mellody can play many positions and fit into any system, such is his all-round game. He's an interceptor off halfback with strong reading of the play and timing in his attack on the ball, and it's with ball in hand where he really shines. In the forward half Mellody is high impact with incisive use off either foot and the running power to tuck the ball under his arm and burst through the paint of 50. His contested game is a wait and see up to this point with his penetration and skills more suited to outside roles still.

11. Cody Templeton

Gippsland Power/Vic Country

MID/FWD, 180cm

A powerful small forward or midfielder that is splitting those roles to perfection early in the season, Templeton is at the centre of many attacking chains for the Power. He breaks tackles with a flick of the hips and can get a head of steam up barrelling inside 50. Few are harder at the contest, though rushed disposal has been his undoing across the past 18 months.

12. Jack Pickett

Geelong Falcons/Vic Country

FWD, 194cm

Pickett's top-age season has been cruelled by an ACL at training, ruling him out of the campaign. He's been the draft's most prolific goalkicker for nearly 24 months, presented full-chested at ballcarriers and imposing himself physically in the air. His set shot routine is beautiful to make his opportunities count and recruiters won't quickly forget his impact as a deep forward.

13. Clancy Snell

Gippsland Power/Vic Country

DEF, 196cm

A do-it-all defender showing potential to be the best defender in the class, Snell is an alert interceptor at his best coming forward to chop off attacks. He offers safe hands in the air and reliable disposal by foot out of the backline, plus the closing speed and long arms to get timely fists in when required. Snell will be highly coveted in defensive systems requiring proactive roll-up to the ball-carrier where he can make quick decisions and has the speed to close down angles.

14. Lewis Houndsome

Northern Knights/Vic Metro

FWD/RUC, 198cm

Houndsome offers some of the best hands in the pool, including a massive catch radius on the lead and the physicality to chop out in the ruck. While limited in what he offers at ground level there's no questioning his elite traits in the air; he could lead both contested marks and goals in the Talent League this year.

15. Gabe Patterson

Glenelg/South Australia

FWD/MID, 184cm

Patterson is an aggressive forward-half midfielder, loving to take the ball north-south and set up attacking forays with dynamism. He can break tackles with power and often looks for the shortest way to home through aggressive movement through the corridor and penetrative kicks into the 50.

16. Xavier Ladbrook

Gippsland Power/Vic Country

DEF, 201cm

Ladbrook is unique in his aerobic power for his size, and it's a trait that can see him move up to a wing and cause headaches in the air. Down back there are few more reliable defenders aerially. He gets a timely fist in consistently and blankets his opponent for quarters at a time with stout positioning off back shoulder.

17. Marcus Prasad

Dandenong Stingrays/Vic Country

FWD/MID, 167cm

Prasad may be the cleanest prospect in the pool. His one touch accumulation around the contest is superb and buys him more time to wheel onto his left boot, though he often gives his passes too much air with chip kicks. He's dangerous in the forward 50 with his capacity to swoop on loose balls and get the ball to boot quickly, and he runs out games well in this forward-midfield split. There are limitations given his size but it doesn't stop the Stingray from attacking the ball and opponents with vigour.

18. Caylen Murray (Brisbane Academy)

Lions Academy/Allies

DEF/MID, 183cm

A classy distributor that plays off halfback or on-ball, Murray is the next in a long line of talent out of the Lions Academy to garner first round consideration. He has grit at the coalface to match the polish on the outside and will be the leading Allies prospect in 2026.

19. Garrison Kenh (West Coast NGA)

East Perth/Western Australia

DEF, 182cm

Kenh is a fantastic interceptor with a springy leap and courage to sit under high balls and jump into leading lanes. There are some holes in his game around transition spread and link-up play where he can get caught making poor decisions, particularly by hand, but he's difficult to stop at full pace and can be damaging with ball in hand when he finds pockets of space. The Eagles NGA prospect put in a terrific display first up for a strong Royals outfit in round one.

20. Koby LeCras

West Perth/Western Australia

FWD, 192cm

LeCras has the height to compete aerially but it's his ground level craft on a wing or at half forward that has clubs keen. The nephew of West Coast goalkicker Mark, the Falcon has stop-on-a-dime evasiveness and can hit the scoreboard under pressure with great technique in his snaps. His set shot routine is flawless and he doesn't need many touches to have an impact.

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