THE history of the draft is littered with stories of players who started their careers at the bottom of the pile before working their way up the chain.

The two most famous bargain basement picks in the draft’s history would still be Bulldog star Chris Grant and Essendon legend James Hird.

Grant had only just turned 16 when the Bulldogs plucked him from Victorian country team Daylesford with pick 105 at the end of 1988.

He made his senior debut against St Kilda in round one of 1990 at Western Oval and kicked two goals in a solid performance. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Tony Lockett booted 10 goals at the other end to give the Saints a 63-point win.

Only 12 men in the history of VFL/AFL football have played more than Grant’s 341 games.

Hird arrived at the Bombers via pick 79 in the 1990 draft. Raised in Canberra, Hird was hardly a stand-out in his final year of junior football but his family’s history with Essendon - both his father and grandfather played at the Bombers - may have been enough for the club to use a speculative pick on him.

He turned out to be one of the greatest players in the AFL, playing in two premierships, one of which he captained and won the Norm Smith medal, winning a Brownlow medal, five All-Australian selections and five club best and fairests in a 253-game career. He went on to become the club’s senior coach.

Like Grant, Hird also made his debut against St Kilda when he was a late replacement for Terry Daniher in Round 1, 1992. The Saints won that game by 17 points.

St Kilda’s first four picks at this year’s NAB AFL Draft all fall within the second round but they could still be in the draft at pick 77 and possibly 95.

Fans worried that the best talent could be gone by then might be encouraged by the club’s success rate with low picks.

We’ve listed four bargain draft picks who went on to prove their worth as regular senior St Kilda players.

Andrew Thompson, pick 62, 1996
Was a surprise selection from VAFA club Old Melburnians after he had already had time on supplementary lists at the Saints and at Footscray. Thompson quickly became a regular senior player at St Kilda and played in a Grand Final in his first season. He represented Victoria in State of Origin in 1998 and the following year the Saints rewarded him by handing him the famous no. 4 previously worn by club legends Tony Lockett and Darrel Baldock. He won the club’s best and fairest in 2000 and eventually retired in 2007. Weeks after his playing career ended, Thompson joined the club’s board of directors and began a term that continues to this day.

Sam Fisher, pick 55, 2003
Returned to football after trying his hand at a golf career. Made his debut as a 21-year-old forward but when injuries hit the St Kilda backline late in 2004 he moved to the other end of the ground where he has remained ever since. He won the club’s best and fairest in 2008 and 2011 and was selected in the 2008 All-Australian team. Nine years after the Saints took a punt on him with pick 55 he remains an integral part of the back six.

James Gwilt, pick 63, 2004
Gwilt followed an unconventional path to league football. Instead of coming through the TAC Cup system he learned his craft while playing for Noble Park in Melbourne’s south-east. The day he was drafted he was playing cricket for Victorian district team South Melbourne. His cricket was quickly pushed aside as he pursued an AFL career. In just his second AFL game he kicked two goals and had 18 possessions in the 2005 Qualifying Final win over Adelaide. Gwilt found himself on the fringe of the St Kilda team for the next few years but his breakout season came in 2010 when he established himself in the Saints’ miserly defence. A knee injury in 2011 proved to be a temporary setback as he quickly regrouped to slot straight back in the team this year.

Arryn Siposs, pick 75, 2010
While it is still only early in Siposs’ career, he has quickly become a fan favourite for his enthusiasm and booming kicking. Siposs has played 16 games in his first two years at St Kilda but hit his stride in the second half of 2012, with his crowning moment coming when he earned a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for his 17 possessions and two goals in the Round 15 win over Essendon.