HAWTHORN needs its young players to step up after an "inevitable" crash to the bottom of the ladder otherwise its plight will continue, according to departed premiership hero Jordan Lewis.

Winless after their worst start to a season in nearly 20 years, the Hawks are searching for a path forward after an 86-point loss to Geelong on Easter Monday.

Lewis, who was traded to Melbourne at the end of last season after playing a role in four premierships, said the club needed to "rethink where they're at".

The star midfielder said the club's successful era under Alastair Clarkson had prevented the club from stockpiling young talent, and the time had come for those youngsters on the list to show their wares. 

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"This was inevitable really," Lewis said on Fox Footy.  

"You come through a period of time where you've been so successful, you haven't got the ability to get early draft picks, so you've got to trade for mature players which they've done really well.

"So I think it's now a place where these young kids have got to step up and contribute, otherwise they'll just keep going the way they're going.

"They need to probably rethink where they're at."

The Hawks entered the 2016 NAB AFL Draft at pick No.74 after a trading spree that netted Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara, and they have not gone to the draft with a top 10 pick since taking Mitch Thorp (No.6 overall) in 2006. 

Hawthorn traded its first-round pick in this year's draft to St Kilda as part of the deal to land O'Meara, so unless the Hawks trade for an earlier pick, their first selection will be be Greater Western Sydney's second-round pick, which is likely to fall in the early 30s on current form.

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Lewis said the young talent coming into the club wasn't "the top end talent that a Melbourne has or a GWS has", with compromised drafts also hurting the club.   

Despite his former team's struggles, Lewis said he could still see spirit among the players on-field.

"They've probably never been in this position for a long period of time," he said.  

"As hard as it is, you've got to regroup, you've got to see this weekend as a new opportunity, like Fremantle have done.

"Fremantle got smashed in their first two rounds and they came out and won their next two games."