When St Kilda’s list management team head to Sydney for next Friday’s NAB National Draft, they do so with picks 23, 36 and 61 up their sleeve.

Opting to swap a 2016 first round pick for one in next year’s draft, the Saints will select two players in the second round.

If you’re worried about missing out on top end talent, don’t be. A number of superstars have come from the second round, including premiership heroes, 300 game stars and Brownlow Medallists.

SAINTS.com.au has analysed drafts gone by to find some of the best players to come from the second round.

Simon Black – Pick 31, 1997

Brownlow Medal. Norm Smith Medal. Premiership Medal x3. All-Australian x3. Brisbane Lions record games holder. With an AFL resume as good as any, Simon Black is one of the game’s true greats. The 322-game champion managed to slip to 31 in the 1997 draft, proving to be a steal. Known for his ability to win the ball and deliver with class, Black formed a formidable midfield foursome with Michael Voss, Jason Akermanis and Nigel Lappin – the core of a three-time premiership side.  

Steven Baker - Pick 27, 1998

A listicle on the Saints site can't be without a St Kilda player and few second round selections have been as good as Steven Baker. Playing 203 games across a 12 year career, Baker was a Trevor Barker Award winner in 2004 and someone the club could rely on in a shutdown role. Never too far away from controversy, the defender/tagger was often given roles on the game's best players. A vital cog in the 2009/2010 campaigns, few were as reliable week in, week out as Bakes. 

Jonathan Brown (F/S) – Pick 30, 1999

With his father Brian playing 51 games for Fitzroy in the late 70s, Jonathan Brown was drafted to Brisbane as a father/son in 1999. Few players throughout history would’ve had the starts to a career Brown had. By his second year, the power forward had not only entrenched himself along side Alastair Lynch and Daniel Bradshaw in the Lions forward line, but was a premiership player. 256 games and 594 goals later, Brown etched himself as a Lions great – winning a Coleman Medal in 2007 to be the side’s all-time leader goalkicker.

Paul Chapman – Pick 31, 1999

He broke our hearts in 2009, but it’s hard to deny Paul Chapman as an AFL superstar. Like Black, he also slipped to pick 31, drafted from the Calder Cannons in the TAC Cup. Also like Black, Chapman was a three-time premiership player and a Norm Smith Medallist in the 2009 AFL Grade Final. Moving to Essendon late in his career, the 251-game star will forever be remembered as a damaging player who not only won his own footy, but also kick goals.

Daniel Kerr – Pick 18, 2000

A hard running midfielder, Kerr was taken with the 18^th pick in 2000. Forming a dangerous midfield quartet with Dean Cox, Chris Judd and Ben Cousins, the premiership star was known for his elite running and tough style of play. While never winning a club best and fairest, Kerr did run second to Cousins in the 2005 Brownlow Medal. Much of the midfield burden was left to Kerr once Cousins and Judd departed the Eagles, averaging 27 disposals in 2007. His toughness is also something not forgotten, collecting 20 touches in the 2006 AFL Grand Final despite playing with detached ligaments in his foot.

Steve Johnson – Pick 24, 2001

A human highlights reel, Steve Johnson is one of the best products from the 2001 “Super Draft”. After a few early career indiscretions and injury woes, Johnson became a key cog of the Cats’ forward line – winning the Geelong goal kicking in 2008 and 2010, along with All-Australian honours in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Noted as a big game player, ‘Stevie J’ had a tendency to stand up when it mattered most. Winning the Norm Smith Medal in the 2007 premiership win, Johnson had 34 disposals in their lost to Hawthorn in the 2008 Grand Final and recovering from a serious knee injury to kick four goals in the 2011 flag win over Collingwood.

Sam Mitchell – Pick 36, 2001

Another member of the 2001 draft, Sam Mitchell’s career is one full of accolades and accomplishments. Recruited from the Box Hill Hawks, the four-time premiership hero as done it all – winning the Hawthorn best and fairest on five occasions and four premierships. He has also won the highest individual honour at both AFL and VFL level, taking out the JJ Liston Trophy in 2002 and Brownlow Medal in 2012. Mitchell seems to be getting better with age, leading the AFL for disposals in 2015 and winning the Peter Crimmins Medal in 2016.

Nat Fyfe – Pick 20, 2009

Despite playing just five games in 2016, Nat Fyfe has elevated himself to one of the league’s best players in recent years. Fyfe was near unstoppable in his Brownlow year, dominant at the clearances and clinical in front of goal. A testament to the champion he has become, Fyfe played in Fremantle’s 2015 preliminary final loss with a broken leg – collecting 24 disposals and six tackles to be one of the side’s best players.