We turn back the clock and recap some of Adelaide’s great draft success stories from years gone by, exclusive to afc.com.au.

Adelaide first dabbled in the Victorian draft pool in 1994 but it wasn’t until the following year that it made a big splash.

The Crows used their first two live picks on the Victorian Under-17 vice captain and captain (and All Australians) Brent Williams and Kane Johnson.

Adelaide had traded its first pick of the 1995 draft (No.9) to the Western Bulldogs for former South Adelaide wingman Kym Koster. And its draft order was also thrown around by a hectic Trade Period which had brought Darren Jarman, Troy Bond and Peter Caven to the Club, with Sean Wellman, Paul Rouvray, Marty McKinnon and Anthony Ingerson heading to other teams.

Williams, a key 190cm forward, was claimed at pick 18 and then the Crows used No 27 on Johnson, a tall and versatile midfielder or defender.

And although Williams only played seven AFL games for the Club, Johnson became a two-time premiership player who played 104 games for the Crows until the end of 2002 before returning to Victoria where he played a further 116 games for Richmond.

Draft Rewind: 1992
Draft Rewind: 1998

Adelaide also surprised by redrafting experienced full forward Scott Hodges, who had been on the Club’s inaugural list but walked away at the end of 1993 after kicking 94 goals in 36 games.

The 1990 Magarey Medallist returned to Port Adelaide in the SANFL for the next two years but then agreed to return to the Crows, where he played two more games in the 1996 season.

A couple of months later, Adelaide hit the jackpot in the February pre-season draft by securing Shane Ellen and SA under-19 cricket captain Simon Goodwin with two of its three picks.

Read our full 1996 Draft Rewind

Ellen played in two premierships with the Crows, as did Goodwin, who also played 275 AFL games, won three Club Champion awards and was a five-time All Australian.

National Draft - Adelaide 1995
No.18 – Brent Williams (Prahran)
No.27 – Kane Johnson (Eastern)
No.45 – Scott Hodges (Port Adelaide)
No.53 – Adam Ugrinic (Woodville-West Torrens)
No.70 – Ashley Fernee (Calder)

1995 National Draft Top Ten
No.1 – Clive Waterhouse (to Fremantle)
No.2 – Matthew Primus (Fitzroy)
No.3 – Brendon Fewster (West Coast)
No.4 – Scott Bamford (Fitzroy)
No.5 – Brendan Krummel (Hawthorn)
No.6 – Daniel Healy (St Kilda)
No.7 – Ben Edwards (Fremantle)
No.8 – Jared Crouch (Sydney)
No.9 – Allen Jakovich (Western Bulldogs)
No.10 – Simon Prestigiacomo (Collingwood)