VICTop 3
Cody Walker
Hurt Factor Midfielder
Bendigo Pioneers (VIC Country)
CarltonScouting profile
2026 AFL National Draft
Max Downes: 2026 AFL Draft profile
Engine-Room Explosive
2026 NATIONAL DRAFTTop 60 · EDITORIAL RANGEVIC
- Position
- Midfielder
- Listed height
- 182 cm
- Club / region
- Northern Knights (VIC Metro)
- Projected range
- Top 60 (editorial)
SOTARAMAFL SCOUTING VIEW
Max Downes scouting report
Max Downes is the 2026 draft’s "engine-room explosive." Standing 182cm, the Northern Knights standout has quickly become one of the most productive midfielders in the Talent League, headlined by a massive 27-disposal, 6-clearance, 2-goal performance in Round 2. Renowned for his core strength and "pack-clearing" kick penetration, Downes is a fringe Northern prospect currently making an undeniable case for Vic Metro honours. He is a persistent hunter who, despite occasionally being caught in possession, possesses the cleanliness and burst speed to turn a tight stoppage into a direct scoring chain. His ability to drift forward and convert quality set-shots makes him a dual-threat weapon that is rapidly rising up draft boards.
Downes can give a midfield a direct route out of a congested passage when his handling leaves him balanced enough to move. The next step is recognising when to use that momentum and when a quicker release will create the better opening. His ability to offer a threat forward is appealing, provided it develops alongside the repeat running and defensive work required for a sustained midfield role.
AFL player comparison
Jordan De Goey
Downes mirrors De Goey’s "power-burst" archetype. At 182cm, he utilizes a powerful core to stand up in tackles and clear the ball from congestion with high-velocity kicking. Like De Goey, he is just as dangerous as a deep forward as he is at the centre bounce, showing the same knack for taking contested marks and kicking crucial "momentum" goals.
Scouting text, projected ranges and comparisons are SotaramAFL editorial assessments, rather than confirmed club decisions or predictions of career achievements.
Where could Max Downes fit in the 2026 AFL Draft?
The simulator currently places Max Downes 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 →
Draft Max Downes in your own mock draft
Choose players, explore pick trades and see how bids change your draft in the existing SotaramAFL simulator.
Compare similar roles
CarltonVICTop 5
Arki Butler
Premier Game Breaker
Sandringham Dragons (VIC Metro)
Scouting profile
WATop 5
Heath Mellody
Contested Defender
Claremont (WAFL Colts / WA)
Scouting profile
Listed measurements and club connections come from the public simulator pool. See sources, methodology and corrections.