RECRUITING manager Francis Jackson speaks with richmondfc.com.au about the outcomes of the 2008 NAB AFL Draft.

Draft summary
"We took a best player approach, but we didn't have a third-round pick which always makes a bit of a difference. We traded that for Adam Thomson so you lose a little bit of flexibility to get that right mix of players, but from our perspective we felt that Tyrone (Vickery) was going to fall through to us from early on so that was a big help. It allowed us to focus on what we were going to with our other picks.

"A bit of luck goes a long way. Often when you have a mid-range pick like we did you can be scratching your head, but when we first had an inkling that Tyrone was going to fall through there was no scratching at all. It was all systems go.

"We passed on our last pick. Actually Brisbane took the player we were going to pick at 70 at 69, so they nutted us by one which can happen in this caper. We just felt that the draft ran out of a bit of depth there, so we'll sit back and get a few kids in see how they go before the pre-season draft."

Selection No. 8: Tyrone Vickery
Sandringham Dragons, VIC, Ruckman, May 5, 1990, 200cm, 86kg
"We were delighted to get Tyrone Vickery with our first pick. We've watched him grow up over the last three or four years with his father working at the club. To see the way he's worked through a knee reconstruction and his work ethic and diligence in that regard has been fantastic.

"We think that he'll be a fabulous acquisition for our young group coming through; he'll be able to enjoy the ride with them."

Selection No. 26: Jaydyn Post
Western Jets, VIC, Tall defender, December 5, 1989, 194cm, 88kg
"We really rated Jaydyn Post at our second pick. We think he has significant qualities to add to our group; he's exceptional overhead, he has good movement skills, kicks the ball well and his performance in the finals was outstanding. So we're really pleased to have him."

Selection No. 58: Tom Hislop
Essendon, VIC, Medium midfielder, January 27, 1987, 185cm, 85kg
"Tom has spoken to the club and spoken to Terry at length, so we've had good discussions there and felt that he would make the most of his second opportunity. We expect a lot from our kids and we expect them all to be responsible and mature but, in effect, a lot of them still need to grow up a fair bit.

"I think we put pretty high standards on our kids and he has a couple of minor issues, but I'm sure he'll make the most of his second opportunity."