Essendon has secured damaging midfielder Archie Perkins in the 2020 NAB AFL Draft.

The Sandringham Dragons product landed at the Bombers via pick No.9 - the club's second selection.

A player who exudes confidence, Perkins shines with his explosiveness and attacking instinct.

He averaged 1.7 goals and 14.2 disposals across six NAB League games for the Dragons last year, splitting his time between midfield and forward to devastating effect.

When you add endurance, athleticism and aerial power to the mix, it's little wonder the well-rounded Perkins was highly touted heading into the draft.

General manager of list and recruiting Adrian Dodoro said Perkins was a valuable acquisition.

"He's a young man who's very driven and he's got some really exciting attributes," Dodoro said.

"He's 188(cm), so he's a tall type of midfielder who can go forward. He's got great aerobic capacity, fantastic speed, and the thing I like about him is his agility and ability to get out of traffic.

"He's just got a real x-factor about him, and we see him as a boy who could potentially step up next year and play some footy for us.

"I think he'll excite Essendon fans for a long, long time."

ARCHIE PERKINS AT A GLANCE:

Position: Midfielder/forward
Team: Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro
Height: 188cm
Weight: 79kg
DOB: March 26, 2002
Key strengths: Explosiveness, agility, scoreboard impact
Key stat: Averaged 1.7 goals a game in the 2019 NAB League

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