Ahead of the upcoming NAB AFL Draft, we’ve compiled a list of the main points that Hawthorn's National Recruiting Manager Mark McKenzie has covered in recent media appearances.

The first round of the draft will begin at 7.10pm on Wednesday at Marvel Stadium, with the remaining rounds to be completed on Thursday prior to the NAB AFL Pre-season and Rookie Drafts commencing on Friday.

Hawks enter draft with best pick since 2005

Hawthorn will enter the draft on Wednesday with one first round selection at Pick 5 along with Picks 21, 24, 59 and 64.

How is the 2021 draft shaping up for Hawthorn?

"Everything's going great, the team has been working really hard," McKenzie told Hawks Media on Monday.

"The last couple of days we've been doing some final reference checks, just tidying up our information and a lot of scenario-based aspects of the draft such as what happens at certain picks and what that potentially means to our order."

Could a trade involving our current picks take place before or on draft night? 

It is possible for current picks to get pushed back due to the bidding process, through the likes of father-son selections.

There is also the option for clubs to trade their picks during the draft, whether that be on Wednesday or Thursday night.

"We will definitely be open to doing that and having a look at potential options to strengthen our draft hand or look at next year as well because we're able to trade those picks, " McKenzie said.

"We're very open to exploring all avenues to better our draft hand or put ourselves in a better position."

What's the go with Pick 5, do you approach things differently?

"You still do the same amount of work on all the picks because you just don't know how it's going to go, especially with the live trading now and what that means," McKenzie said.

"We do have those current picks, but they are open to change, you just never know what's going to happen,  especially with live trading.

"Pick 5 could move back a couple because there are a couple of father-son's that have been talked about in the media in the higher-end side."

Do you take the best talent available or the best fit for your needs?

McKenzie said he and his team do not want to "over complicate" the draft process, with its approach to focus on talent.

“Especially at the higher end, we normally look at that talent first and then go from there," he said.

"Obviously things may change depending on who you take with your first or second pick in those scenario-based aspects of the draft."

What involvement has Sam Mitchell had?

“He’s been eager to get involved in the process – he was involved in a lot of interviews, even from a couple of months ago, jumping in here and there with some players,” McKenzie told the NAB AFL Draft Countdown radio on Tuesday.

“He’s been great and very supportive. It’s always good to have the coach understand the knowledge behind the players and then look at it in a different way from our point of view as well.

“He’s been heavily involved in the last two or three months – he’s super excited and very enthusiastic. It’s his first draft to attend Wednesday night, so he’s pumped and ready to go.”

Where is the draft televised?

You can keep up with all Hawthorn’s draft news via our website at www.hawthorn.com.au and our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The national draft will be broadcast live on Fox Footy alongside the AFL who will also be covering it across afl.com.au.