The 2016 AFL draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League could trade and recruit players following the completion of the 2016 AFL season. Additions to each club's playing list are not allowed at any other time during the year. The key dates for the trading and drafting periods were:
The free agency offer period; held between 7 October and 19 October. Three further free agency periods were held for delisted players, between 1 November and 8 November, 10 November to 18 November, and 26 November to 27 November,
The trade period; held between 10 October and 20 October,
The 2017 pre-season draft; which was to be held on 28 November, but was cancelled when all clubs declined to take part, and
The 2017 rookie draft; which was held on 28 November.
Player movements
Previous trades
The 2015 AFL draft included a new initiative whereby clubs could trade future picks; through this scheme, fourteen picks in the 2016 draft were traded prior to the commencement of the 2016 trade period:
The numbering of the draft picks in this list may be different to the agreed draft picks at the time of the trade, due to adjustments from either the insertion of free agency compensation draft picks or clubs exiting the draft before later rounds.
Due to James Kelly and Matt Dea being signed as top up players because of the 2012 Essendon supplements saga, they had to be delisted and then re-signed in order to stay on Essendon's list.
The received a priority pick at the end of the first round after a request by the club to the AFL commission was accepted. It was the first time a priority pick was given to a club since the rules regarding priority selections were changed in 2012. This pick was later on-traded to as part of the Pearce Hanley trade to, before the Sydney Swans ended up with it by the trade deadline. A change was made to the rules concerning academy and father-son selections which allowed clubs to begin the draft with only as many draft picks as it had empty positions on its playing list. This was intended to end the practice which had taken place the previous year in which clubs with academies had traded down the draft order to accumulate a large number of mid- and low-range draft picks specifically to use on academy bids.
Round
Pick
Player
Drafted to
Recruited from
League
Notes
1
1
Sandringham Dragons
TAC Cup
1
2
Sandringham Dragons
TAC Cup
Traded from
1
3
North Ballarat Rebels
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from
1
4
Gippsland Power
TAC Cup
1
5
Sandringham Dragons
TAC Cup
Academy player, Carlton's bid matched with picks 15 and 37.
Academy player, Sydney's bid matched with picks 52, 54, 55 and 56.
Priority
21
SANFL
Traded from ; received from
2
22
Oakleigh Chargers
TAC Cup
2
23
Geelong Falcons
TAC Cup
2
24
North Ballarat Rebels
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from
2
25
NEAFL
Traded from ; received from ; free agency compensation pick
2
26
NEAFL
Traded from ; received from
2
27
WAFL
2
28
Northern Knights
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from
2
29
WAFL
Free agency compensation pick
2
30
Oakleigh Chargers
TAC Cup
2
31
Eastern Ranges
TAC Cup
Traded from
2
32
Bendigo Pioneers
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from
2
33
North Ballarat Rebels
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from ; received from ; received from ; received from
2
34
NEAFL
Academy eligible, but the did not match the bid
2
35
Eastern Ranges
TAC Cup
Father–son rule selection ; North Melbourne's bid matched with pick 44.
2
36
Surfers Paradise
QAFL
Free agency compensation pick
2
37
WAFL
2
38
Geelong Falcons
TAC Cup
Traded from, received from ; received from ; received from ; received from
2
39
Dandenong Stingrays
TAC Cup
Traded from
2
40
VFL
2
41
SANFL
Traded from
3
42
Bendigo Pioneers
TAC Cup
Academy eligible, but did not match the bid
3
43
Murray Bushrangers
TAC Cup
Traded from
3
44
Dandenong Stingrays
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from ; received from
3
45
Eastern Ranges
TAC Cup
Traded from
3
46
VFL
Traded from
3
47
Henty
HFL
Academy eligible, but did not match the bid; traded from ; received from
3
48
WAFL
Traded from
3
49
SANFL
Traded from
3
50
Bendigo Pioneers
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from ; received from ; received from
3
51
NEAFL
3
52
SANFL
Traded from
3
53
SANFL
Traded from
4
54
Murray Bushrangers
TAC Cup
Academy player, traded from ; received from
4
55
NEAFL
Academy player
4
56
Oakleigh Chargers
TAC Cup
Traded from, received from
4
57
Oakleigh Chargers
TAC Cup
Father–son rule selection ; traded from
4
58
AFL
4
59
Sandringham Dragons
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from ; received from ; received from
4
60
WAFL
Traded from
4
61
North Ballarat Rebels
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from
4
62
Northern Knights
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from
4
63
Eastern Ranges
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received ; received from
4
64
Oakleigh Chargers
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from
4
65
Oakleigh Chargers
TAC Cup
Traded from ; received from
4
66
VFL
Traded from, received from
4
67
Palm Beach Currumbin
QAFL
Academy player
4
68
VFL
Traded from ; received from
4
69
Grovedale
GFL
4
70
Bendigo Pioneers
TAC Cup
Traded from
5
71
Sandringham Dragons
TAC Cup
Traded from, received from
5
72
Murray Bushrangers
TAC Cup
Academy eligible, but did not match the bid
5
73
Oakleigh Chargers
TAC Cup
5
74
Murray Bushrangers
TAC Cup
Traded from
5
75
UNSW
Sydney AFL
5
76
Calder Cannons
TAC Cup
6
77
WAFL
Father–son rule selection
; Notes
Free agency compensation picks are additional selections awarded to teams based on their net loss of players during the free agency trade period.
Academy players are local zone selections available to the four New South Wales and Queensland clubs. Both academy and father-son selections are subject to a bidding process, where the club with the family or academy connection must match any opposition club's bid with their next available selection.
Rookie elevations
Clubs were able to promote any player who was listed on their rookie list in 2016 to their 2017 primary playing list prior to the draft.
Player
Club
Ref.
2017 rookie draft
Category B rookie selections
During the trade period, clubs could nominate category B rookies to join their club.
