With all the wheeling and dealing of the AFL exchange period, draft picks were shuffled between clubs across the board.

While North traded its first-round selection to Hawthorn in a deal for Jed Anderson, it was able to gain pick 17 in an exchange involving Ryan Bastinac.

The Roos boast three picks in the top 30, but it’s the club’s opening pick that will no doubt grab the most attention heading into 2016.

NMFC.com.au looks at the history of pick 17 since the introduction of the draft in 1986.

On November 26, 1986, the very first national draft took place at the old VFL House on Jolimont Road, around the corner from the MCG.

Back then, VFL administrator Chris Pelchen stood at the front of the room as players’ names were read out. Remarkably, such little thought was given to the draft back then that several of the names were inaccurate or misspelled by the clubs.

The first national draft was restricted to players from country Victoria or other states, with local metropolitan zoning still in place until 1991.

Not all clubs had a full-time recruiting officer and recruiting budgets were minimal. Many players were not interviewed prior to selection, with character references based around chats with the local coach.

It’s little wonder the early days of the draft were hit and miss, or an “inexact science” as Pelchen recalled in 2014.

Just 23 of the 65 players drafted ever played senior football.

Nevertheless, the draft, and the salary cap (TPP) were introduced and paved the way for a fairer, national competition in the years to come.

Selected 17 has come with mixed success over the past 29 drafts. Among those selected early in 1986 Trent Nicholls headed to Richmond with pick 17. He went on to play 112 games, including 33 at North for 39 goals.

Gilbert McAdam played 111 games for St Kilda and Brisbane, and Angelo Lekkas 180 for the Hawks.

North fans will remember Scott Welsh playing in a winning Grand Final, 1999, in just his 36^th game. He left the club barely a few weeks later, traded to Adelaide for pick 77.

Welsh went on to play a further 169 games at the Crows and then the Bulldogs before retiring in 2009.

But perhaps the most highly regarded selection 17 arrived at the Cats in 2001 – James Kelly. A three-time premiership player, he could perhaps only be rivalled by his teammates Harry Taylor (drafted in 2007) for top billing.

Of course, Shaun Atley still has time to push his case. North’s most recent pick 17, in 2010, Atley already has 109 games to his name at age 23.

Among the other success stories, Kym Koster played in two premierships with Adelaide, after originally joining Footscray with pick 17 in 1992.

The Crows did pay a high price though, handing the Bulldogs selection 9 (Allen Jakovich) in exchange.

But as is the unpredictability of the draft, there’s been disappointments too. Drafted with pick 17 in 1990, Brendan Hehir never played a game, while the likes of Nick Daffy, pick 49 (165 matches) and James Hird, pick 79 (253 matches) were well down the order.

Likewise Billy Morrison, who in 2003 went before the likes of David Mundy, pick 19 (233 games) and Jed Adcock, pick 33 (206 games).

But that’s the nature of recruiting. While it may have been a lottery in the early days, in the modern game hundreds of hours of research, video analysis and interviews are common-sight.

Knowing whether that player can translate their skill, athleticism or smarts to the highest level is another matter altogether.

* Still playing. Totals current as at end of 2015 season.

The history of pick 17