2026 AFL National Draft

Elijah Dennis: 2026 AFL Draft profile

Composed Aerial Shield

SotaramAFL scouting view · Website profile expanded 26 October 2026 · Draft ranges from 19 October snapshot

2026 NATIONAL DRAFTTop 60 · EDITORIAL RANGEWA

Position: Defender
Listed height: 193 cm
Club / region: Claremont (WAFL Colts / WA)
Projected range: Top 60 (editorial)

SOTARAMAFL SCOUTING VIEW

Elijah Dennis scouting report

Elijah Dennis is the 2026 draft’s "composed aerial shield." Standing at 193cm, the Claremont product—and younger brother of former WA under-18 pillar Clancy Dennis—has been a cornerstone of the Tigers’ undefeated start to the 2026 WAFL Colts season. Renowned for an elite reading of the play and exceptional overhead strength, Dennis entered the year as a shrewd interceptor but has rapidly leveled up his lockdown game. His ability to completely nullify the opposition's most dangerous key targets while knowing exactly when to drop off his man to clunk a high-pressure intercept mark makes him one of the most reliable tall defensive prospects in the country. With ultra-clean decision-making on turnover, he rarely beats himself or puts his backline under the pump.

Dennis can earn a backline's trust by making clear decisions about when to stay with a forward and when to support the next contest. The intercept becomes more valuable when his first possession allows teammates to move out together. We would look for him to keep building that balance, with sound body positioning and controlled use remaining the foundations of a more expansive defensive game.

AFL player comparison

Tom Barrass

Dennis mirrors the Barrass "intercept-or-kill" blueprint perfectly. At 193cm, he plays with a cool head and doesn't panic when isolated deep, frequently playing the percentages or backing his reach to spoil effectively when caught out of position. Like Barrass, his greatest weapon is his tactical positioning; he diagnoses the kicker’s intent early, allowing him to peel off at the perfect millisecond to reel in towering intercept grabs going back with the flight. His combination of unselfish defensive spoiling and structural discipline makes him a ready-made anchor.

Scouting text, projected ranges and comparisons are SotaramAFL editorial assessments, rather than confirmed club decisions or predictions of career achievements.

Where could Elijah Dennis fit in the 2026 AFL Draft?

The simulator currently places Elijah Dennis in the Top 60 group. Compare the role and scouting assessment with the players available at your club’s selection, then test an alternative in your own mock draft.

Match statistics and combine testing

The scouting view is written for this website. Published measurements and their sources appear in the athletic profile below where available; a missing result is not a zero or proof of non-participation.

PROSPECT INTELLIGENCE / 2026

The athletic profile

The numbers. The draft context. The bigger picture.

0/ 5core tests published

SOTARAMAFL SCOUTING VIEW

Top 60 projected band

74 profiles share this band · editorial snapshot, 19 October 2026

Pick 1Pick 30Pick 60

Highlighted span: picks 1–60. A range, not an exact ranking or consensus score.

Dots show known results from the same event and protocol. Higher on the bar means faster or higher. This leader-biased sample does not represent the whole draft class.

Compare with a named historical mark. These are benchmark gaps, not all-time rankings or percentiles. National and state conditions can differ.

No verified measurements to plot yet

We will add the bars when attributable results are available. Missing data is not a low score and does not establish whether a player tested.

20m sprint —Agility —2km time trial —Standing vertical jump —Running vertical jump —

How to read this profile

Rankings use only published results collected for the same test and event, with competition ranking for ties. The denominator is the number of known results, not all participants. Preliminary and unofficial figures are shown without ranks or historical comparisons. Reaching-hand, side-specific and counter-movement protocols stay separate.

Scouting bands are the site's existing editorial view; no numerical skill ratings have been inferred from prose. Historical marks use the AFL's records reference. The 2km event began in 2017; no 3km, beep-test or Yo-Yo conversion is used. Harry Sharp's 2020 mark is a historical reference across differing event conditions. Finlay Yeo's WA agility result may surpass the national benchmark without changing that benchmark's event scope.

Research reviewed 26 October 2026. Read coverage and source discrepancies →