Four new promising youngsters will now call the brown and gold home following the 2023 national draft.

Hawthorn secured a selection in the top 10 of the draft for the fourth consecutive year, and more broadly made its fourth first-round selection across the last two years.

Following its conclusion on Tuesday night, Hawthorn's National Recruiting and List Manager Mark McKenzie said this year's draft was a great outcome for the club.

“It’s always exciting to bring some new players into the footy club through the draft, so it was great to welcome another four players in across both nights," McKenzie said. 

“We’ve been pretty open with our strategy in regard to going back to the draft.

"To again go high with four over the last two years just solidifies our strategy and what we want to achieve with bringing in those higher-end talents to help support the current group that we’ve got.

"Hopefully it’s an exiting time for the boys.”

The Hawks kicked off proceedings on Monday night by selecting Nick Watson with Pick 5 - the highest pick the club has had since taking Xavier Ellis with Pick 3 in the 2005 draft.

An electric player, Watson has been on the draft radar since 2021 exciting onlookers with unmatched small forward craft.

Known as ‘The Wizard’ for his ability to do special things in attack, Watson is among the most exciting prospects in this year’s draft.

Hailing from the East-Ringwood juniors and Rowville Sports Academy, the 18-year-old booted 14 goals for Vic Metro this year to earn an All Australian selection.

As the leading goal-kicker at this year’s AFL Under-18 Championships, he been tipped to follow in the footsteps of small forward greats, including Luke Breust and Eddie Betts.

The Hawks then matched the bid on Pick 19 with North Melbourne to secure another first round selection, father-son prospect Will McCabe.

A life-long Hawthorn fan, McCabe is the son of former Hawk and current football director Luke, who played 138 games in the brown and gold.

Capable of playing at either end of the ground, the promising youngster spent the 2023 season as a key defender with SANFL club Central District, impressively earning a reserves debut in Round 13.

McCabe initially made a name for himself in the Bulldogs' Under-18s side, floating between defence and attack as a versatile and athletic 197cm talent that boasts impressive aerial capabilities.

With his eye-catching prowess through the air and serious speed, McCabe has enormous upside and potential which should excite Hawks fans in years to come.

The following night on Tuesday, the Hawks made two more selections starting with Bodie Ryan at Pick 46.

Ryan raised the eyebrows of recruiters following the National Championships, where he was named best afield in South Australia’s finals two games.

Praised as a versatile defender with a great balance of offence and defence, Ryan can play both small and tall opponents, standing at 187cm.

A strong competitor with great character, Ryan also played a crucial role in guiding Glenelg to a premiership in the SANFL reserves competition, despite being just a teenager.

Calsher Dear, the son of late Hawthorn premiership player and 1991 Norm Smith medallist Paul, was the final face to join the brown and gold at the conclusion of this year's draft after the club selected him with Pick 56.

While his development is still raw, the 195cm key position forward has demonstrated on several occasions his ability to get hold of the opposition and impact the scoreboard.

A terrific outing at the Talent League Grand Final, where he kicked the first goal of the game, saw the youngster earn an AFL draft state combine invitation.

Dear joins McCabe as the second father-son selection for the Hawks from this year's draft.

Find out more about our 2023 draftees via our Trade and Draft hub.

Interested in supporting our newest recruits? To become the inaugural player sponsor for any of our draftees, please contact Clinton Young at clintonY@hawthornfc.com.au.