More than 60 names had been called by the time Yestin Eades’ name was read out at the National Draft last November.
Gach Nyuon had to wait even longer before he was picked up in the Rookie Draft.
But both Essendon recruits are showing promising signs on the track during their first AFL pre-season.
Eades was renowned for his running ability and so far his athleticism has lived up to the hype.
“He’s probably been one of the standouts from the development group,” Head of Player Development Matthew Egan said.
“He’s handled the load really easily. Every session you look at his numbers and he’s producing some amazing speed.
“He’s still got a bit of work to do on his kicking, but so far what he’s produced with his intensity, his tackling ability - as a high work rate forward has been excellent.
“Obviously he’s still raw and he’s still got parts of his game that he’s working on, but so far he’s been one of the stand outs for a young guy."
Nyuon stands 198 centimetres tall and matched Nic Naitanui’s running vertical jump record at the Draft Combine.
“He’s going to be a work in progress,” Egan said.
“He’s really raw but his talent is unbelievable.
“He really jumps at the ball – he’s pretty hard to compete against once he gets that nice early jump.”
Nyuon is working alongside new recruit Mark Jamar to hone his ruck craft.
“He’s can kick off both feet which for a big guy who is pretty raw is exceptional," Egan said.
“We want to build his body first. I think he’s about 86 kilograms so for a ruckman he’s got a fair of work (to go) in the body, but the future looks pretty bright for big ‘Gachy’.”