Sam Draper Biography

Sam Draper wins the 2022 Goal of the Year Award for his awe-inspiring goal on the run against Gold Coast.

Sam Draper has had a meteoric rise to become Essendon's No.1 ruckman.

He was drafted after only playing football for nine months, was offered a lucrative long-term deal by a rival before he had played a game, was ushered into the Bombers' line-up as its leading ruckman on debut, took a huge hanger in his third quarter of AFL football, scrapped with West Coast star and All-Australian Nic Naitanui in his fifth outing and has already developed a cult following as the Bombers' next (literal) big thing.

"I do feel a little bit of the hype but that sits all right with me, it doesn't faze me too much. I feel like I've been ready to go and this has always been part of my plan. It hasn't been unexpected for me," Draper said.

"It might seem like I've come onto the scene pretty quickly but I've been grinding away and this is my fifth pre-season at the club so I feel like I'm where I need to be and I'm keen for what's next."

Sam Draper makes his AFL debut for Essendon with 9 disposals (6 kicks and 3 handballs), 2 marks, 2 tackles and 21 hitouts in a 63-point loss to Brisbane.

Sam Draper signs a new two-year with Essendon to remain at the club until the end of 2019.

"We have a great group of players who are driven towards achieving success, we’ve built a great environment to develop and learn, and I’m eager to get stuck into training and keep learning over the pre-season," Draper said.

"I believe the club is heading in the right direction, and that motivates me to keep challenging myself and working towards an AFL debut."

Essendon select Sam Draper with pick No.1 in the 2016 Rookie Draft.

“We desperately needed to find a developing tall, they’re so hard to find, there are not many around in AFL circles at the moment,” Essendon List and Recruiting Manager Adrian Dodoro said.

“He only started playing football in February this year. He’s had a pretty steep rise this year.

“He’s a big lump of a kid, he’s quick, has got good agility and is a former soccer player.”

The first overall selection in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft only played Australian football for the first time this year with the Reynella Wineflies in South Australia.

Nine months later, towering 203cm ruckman Sam Draper is a Bomber.

"I can't believe it," Draper told 5AA radio on Monday.

"I kind of got told it's not looking likely it's going to happen this year, so I wasn't expecting too much leading up to it.

"If I did (get drafted), it would be a bonus.

"(Essendon) called me up earlier today to let me know they were going to pick me at pick No.1.

"Honestly I can't believe it, it was so hard to sink in."