With the 2016 AFL draft just around the corner, I thought it would be fitting to bring back the ‘Revisiting the AFL draft’ series and head back to the 2013 draft.

Like some of the other redrafts, the players in this top 10 will be based on their first two years in the AFL system.

The players’ future potential is hard to gauge this early into their careers, and will not be considered as highly compared to other redrafts I’ve done. I’m looking at who has impressed me the most in their first two seasons as a professional footballer.

As usual, rookie-drafted players will be omitted from the top 10; therefore leaving out the likes of Anthony Miles, Charlie Cameron and Kayne Turner.

The Bulldogs, Magpies and Giants are the early winners of this draft and interestingly, there are three players in the top 10 of the 2013 AFL draft who will don different colours in 2016.

Pick one won’t feature in the new top 10, while the first two picks were both runner-ups in the Rising Star Awards in ’14 and ’15.

Let’s take a closer look.

2013 draft
Pick 1: Tom Boyd (GWS)
Pick 2: Josh Kelly (GWS)
Pick 3: Jack Billings (St Kilda)
Pick 4: Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
Pick 5: Kade Kolodjashnij (Gold Coast)
Pick 6: Matthew Scharenberg (Collingwood)
Pick 7: James Aish (Brisbane)
Pick 8: Luke McDonald (F/S – North Melbourne)
Pick 9: Christian Salem (Melbourne)
Pick 10: Nathan Freeman (Collingwood)

Redrafted

Pick 1 (GWS) – Marcus Bontempelli
The Western Bulldogs would be counting their blessings that Bontempelli fell to them with the fourth pick in the 2013 AFL draft. As of right now, he is undoubtedly the number one pick in this redraft.

Bontempelli is the prototype for an AFL midfielder. He is tall, athletic, composed and highly skilled for a 19-year-old. Like Scott Pendlebury and David Mundy, he is well on his way to being a complete, all-round and starring midfielder.

The ‘Bont’ is the future and the face of the Bulldogs. Along with Jesse Hogan and the second pick in this redraft, Bontempelli is the next breakout star in the AFL.

Thirty-seven games into his career, he has kicked 32 goals and is averaging 19 disposals, three marks, five tackles and almost a goal a game. This kid is a superstar.

He was runner-up in the NAB Rising Star Award in 2014, and polled third in the Bulldogs’ best and fairest this year. The future is bright, or ‘Bont’, for the Bulldogs.

Pick 2 (GWS) – Patrick Cripps
I thought it would take more than two years to ask this question… but in all seriousness, how did Patrick Cripps fall to Carlton with the 13th pick in the 2013 AFL draft?

They say 13 is an unlucky number, but perhaps Carlton’s fortunes have turned with the incredible emergence of Cripps this year.

After playing only nine games in his debut season due to injuries, Cripps – the tall, strong-bodied midfielder (like the Bont) – ensured everyone knew his name in 2015. Cripps was one of the few shining lights in Carlton’s 2015 campaign, emerging as the Blues’s saviour and new superstar after the retirement of Chris Judd.

Cripps averaged 24 disposals, three marks and five tackles a game in 2015, and finished eighth in the competition for contested possessions per game, 14th in total clearances and was elite in almost every category among the Rising Stars.

Twenty-three games into his career and Cripps has already won his first best and fairest with the Blues. Exciting times ahead.

Pick 3 (St Kilda) – Kade Kolodjashnij
A few of you may be surprised by this selection, but Kolodjashnij is one of the great young talents to come out of this draft so far.

Despite being drafted with pick five by the Gold Coast Suns in 2013, Kolodjashnij may have slipped under the radar due to playing up north. But I’ll let his numbers to the talking.

Kolodjashnij has played 40 out of a possible 44 games to begin his AFL career. As you’ll see later in the list, many of the 2013 draftees are lucky to have played 30 games to date.

Over his young career he has averaged 20 disposals – 22 in 2015 – and five marks a game, and in 2015, he ranked sixth in rebound 50s per game, and ranked 20th in total kicks in the league.

Safe to say, he is a weapon off the half-bank flank for the Suns. He might not be flashy or a superstar yet, but Kolodjashnij’s composure, kicking efficiency and the ability to launch the Suns’ attack from the defensive half at 19 years of age shouldn’t be underestimated.

If this kid was playing in Victoria, you’d hear a lot more about him and his talents.

Pick 4 (St Kilda) – Lewis Taylor
Brisbane’s Taylor wears the number 28 jersey for the Lions because, well, he was drafted 28th overall by Brisbane in the 2013 AFL draft.

Taylor’s first 44 AFL games, along with 28 goals, has him leading the very prestigious title as one of the steals of 2013.

Taylor is one the competition’s shortest players, registering at a modest 173 centimetres. Early on in his career, he has been compared to Boomer Harvey, with his ability to zig-zag in and out of traffic, turn on the jets, kick goals on the run and display his raw pace and talents on the football field.

Taylor is quickly becoming the heart and soul of the Brisbane Lions, he is an exciting player who gets the crowd cheering whenever he nears the ball. He has averaged 19 disposals, four marks and two tackles a game over his young career, and won the Rising Star Award over Bontempelli in 2014.

Despite concerns about Brisbane’s young talent wanting to leave the club, the Lions have an absolute gem in Taylor. Sign him to a long-term contract… now!

Pick 5 (Gold Coast) – Jack Billings
Billings was drafted third overall in 2013, selected by St Kilda. Like Taylor, Billings is a small, tough midfielder/small-forward who is an excitement machine when he gets going.

Despite only registering 25 AFL games in his first two seasons, there is a reason why Saints fans were outraged when Essendon asked for Billings in exchange for Jake Carlisle. The fans love him, the club loves him, and with another pre-season and some experience under his belt, Billings could be the next superstar to come out of the young crop of Saints players.

Billings is a smart, quick and promising talent who will spend most of his early career up forward until he builds the endurance and strength to compete in the midfield. He has averaged 17 disposals, five marks and two tackles a game so far, and those numbers are destined to rise as he’ll look to play a full season next year.

The AFL world got a glimpse into Billings’s talents when he carried the Saints on his back, gathering 22 disposals, seven marks and kicking four goals on the way to a stunning comeback win against the Bulldogs earlier this year.

Pick 6 (Collingwood) – Josh Kelly
The Greater Western Sydney Giants drafted Kelly with the second pick in the 2013 AFL draft. Kelly is a classy and a highly skilled midfielder who is fast becoming a rising star for the Giants.

Despite playing just 36 AFL games, Kelly has impressed already with his great decision making, his composure under pressure and his elite kicking skills. He has kicked 20 goals as a midfielder, and has averaged 18 disposals, four marks and three tackles over his career.

With an array of young talent at the Giants over the past few years, we haven’t seen enough of Kelly and his talents. But put Kelly into any Victorian side, and fans would be salivating at his talents and future potential by now.

In 2016, with the departure of Adam Treloar, we should see Kelly given more responsibilities to thrive and lead the Giants’ midfield to finals glory.

Pick 7 (Brisbane) – Zach Merrett
If you’re not an Essendon fan, Merrett is another name that may have slipped under the radar from the 2013 AFL draft.

However Merrett has been one of few feel-good stories to come out of Tullamarine since the ASADA saga broke in 2013. Merrett was drafted 26th overall in 2013 by the Bombers.

Like Billings and Taylor before him, Merrett is a promising and young small-forward/midfielder type, whose speed, evasiveness and creativity has him as one of the exciting young talents in the competition.

To date, Merrett has played 37 games and kicked 15 goals. He has averaged 19 disposals, four marks and five tackles to begin his career. Before his foot injury, Merrett brought speed and excitement to the Bombers line-up.

Merrett is a little pocket rocket who looks ready to explode once he starts playing in the midfield. Don’t sleep on him – he’s a gem and an exciting prospect for Essendon’s future.

Pick 8 (North Melbourne) – Ben Brown
Brown made his way to North Melbourne via the 2013 AFL draft. But it wasn’t with pick eight, no. Ben Brown was selected with the 47th pick in 2013.

Say what you will about Brown, but his first 33 games and 50 goals have been pretty impressive. To put it into perspective, Tom Boyd, the number one pick in this draft, has played only 23 games and kicked 24 goals. He’s even struggled to break into the Bulldog’s team this year.

But back to Brown.

The 200-centimetre key position forward has emerged as a genuine threat for the Kangaroos. Despite his awkward running and goal-kicking style, Brown has been one of the more heartwarming and likeable characters to come out of this draft. With his ‘Sideshow Bob’ haircut, it’s hard to miss him on the field.

Brown is young, athletic and he provides a great spark for North. If he continues to emerge and develop, he may take over the number one forward role when Drew Petrie eventually retires.

Pick 9 (Melbourne) – James Aish
After being drafted by Brisbane with the seventh pick in 2013, Aish has had one of the more controversial starts to an AFL career.

Despite a breakout first season, it seemed Aish was destined to leave Brisbane even before he arrived. Fast forward two years and he is now wearing black and white, but had a promising first two years with the Lions before making the move.

Aish played 21 games in 2014, before adding only 11 this year due to injuries. Over his 32 games, he has averaged 17 disposals, four marks and three tackles a game.

Like Kelly, Aish is a highly skilled midfielder and winger, whose decision making and kicking abilities have him highly regarded in the competition. There was a reason many clubs were inquiring about his availability in the off-season.

There is no doubt Aish will thrive under Collingwood’s system. If he gets into the Pies’ best 22 he will make an immediate impact. There’s a lot of pressure on him to perform, but I think he is an elite talent, and in a couple of years, he will move into the top five of the 2013 redraft.

The ball is in your court, James.

Pick 10 (Collingwood) – Cameron McCarthy
McCarthy was drafted with pick 14 by the Giants in 2013. If the 2015 trade period has taught us anything, it’s that Geelong and Collingwood have serious recruiting skills, and McCarthy is a hot property. To cut a long story short, McCarthy was homesick and wanted a trade to Fremantle, but Greater Western Sydney stuck to their word and didn’t trade the contracted McCarthy.

GWS rates McCarthy and it’s not hard to see why.

With 21 games and 36 goals, McCarthy is an unorthodox forward prospect who was given a chance by coach Leon Cameron and grabbed onto it in 2015.

McCarthy’s best asset is his marking ability. He plucks the ball from anywhere and everywhere, and is a reliable marking threat for the Giants. He is an accurate kick at goal, registering 35 goals and 14 behinds this year.

If McCarthy settles back into Western Sydney life and doesn’t let his homesickness affect his professionalism, then he could become GWS’s main man as Jonathon Patton continues to recover from his knee issues.

Big call, but McCarthy takes the final spot in this redraft over former GWS player, Tom Boyd.

My next five redrafted picks
Pick 11: Tom Boyd (originally pick 1)
Pick 12: Dom Sheed (originally pick 11)
Pick 13: Tom Langdon (originally pick 65)
Pick 14: Billy Hartung (originally pick 24)
Pick 15: Darcy Lang (originally pick 16)

Final words
Despite losing the 10th pick in this draft – Nathan Freeman – Collingwood were one of the real winners in this draft. Matthew Scharenberg looks like he can play, and Derek Hine and his team managed to pluck Tom Langdon and Jonathon Marsh from deep into the draft. Add pick seven James Aish, and Collingwood can be pretty happy with their 2013 work.

GWS is another team that would be thrilled. Kelly and McCarthy are two players who have started promisingly, and despite losing Tom Boyd to the Bulldogs, they added experience with Ryan Griffen in the trade and still drafted well.

St Kilda will now have two of the top 10 picks from this draft (Freeman and Billings) in 2016, while Brisbane, despite losing Aish, added Taylor and key position players, Darcy Gardiner and Daniel McStay, in 2013.

We are two years into seeing how the players of the 2013 AFL draft develop, and so far, it’s a pretty damn exciting class of players. I haven’t even mentioned the likes of Ben Lennon, Jarmon Impey, Christian Salem or Mitch Honeychurch who will be on the rise in 2016.

Let’s see what this redraft will look like in another five years.