Essendon has secured the services of talented tall Nikolas Cox in the 2020 NAB AFL Draft.

The Northern Knights product arrives at the Bombers via pick No.8 - the club's first selection.

One of the most unique prospects in this year's draft, Cox boasts remarkable athleticism for a 200cm tall, running the 20m sprint in 2.95 secs and the 2km time trial in 6:05 mins (third overall in the country) at the recent Victorian Combine.

He's a creative, efficient user of the footy on both feet, who enjoys flying for marks and taking the game on.

Despite consolidating himself as a key tall late last season, Cox has also shown he can play as a medium-sized type across half-back and on the wing.

General manager of list and recruiting Adrian Dodoro said the 18-year-old had enormous upside.

"We don't know what his ceiling is. He has an amazing engine and he kicks on both sides of his body, so he'll run around like a midfielder," Dodoro said.

"He's a very exciting prospect. Obviously losing 'Joey' (Joe Daniher) and Tommy Bellchambers, we've lost a lot of talls over the past couple of years and we wanted to replenish that area of our list with this draft, and I think we did a really good job of doing that."

NIK COX AT A GLANCE:

Position: Key forward/defender
Team: Northern Knights/Vic Metro
Height: 200cm
Weight: 87kg
DOB: January 15, 2002
Key strengths: Kicking efficiency, versatility, athleticism
Key stat: Ran 20m sprint in 2.95 secs

This news is brought to you by Orchard HRO, the club's official recruitment and list management partner.