McCartney was happy with the way the Dogs addressed weaknesses in their young list in the Gillette AFL Trade Period and NAB AFL Draft.
On Thursday morning, the Bulldogs unveiled their seven recruits - traded pair Koby Stevens (West Coast) and Tom Young (Collingwood) and draftees Jake Stringer, Jackson Macrae, Nathan Hrovat, Lachie Hunter and Josh Prudden - and McCartney said each had the potential to become a good AFL player.
"History will show you that the ones who can deal with the work and handle the step up in intensity and manage playing against men - Koby and Tom have been in that position, and Jake's played country footy against men - they can make that adjustment," he said.
"But (it's) difficult to predict who and when. We had two (draftees) play (their) first game last year and we introduced nine first-gamers through the year for a variety of reasons. We anticipate that quite a few will play next year."
The Dogs had significantly bolstered their midfield stocks with some taller, versatile types, McCartney said.
"The game is moving that way (and) that's what we want to be able to offer too; that we've got a number of players that can play a lot of positions, fit the team, can defend at the right time but also play forward, and know that when we put them around the ball they’re very reliable.
"We think we've got a nice balance," he said.
Each of the draftees would naturally love to debut next season, but for now are focusing solely on getting through their first AFL pre-season.
Of the teenagers, Stringer, a strongly built forward/midfielder, is the early favourite to make the grade first. Even the understated McCartney regards him as a rare specimen.
"He is a big kid, isn’t he? He's one of the rare ones. We'll probably look to trim him down a little bit (whereas) most you’re trying to bulk them up," he said.
However, the coach was at pains to emphasis that there were no more expectations on Stringer than any of his peers.
"We think we've found some good players with all of our picks and they'll all come along when they’re ready," he said.
"There's never any predictor, but having a bigger body does help. But he's got to be able to handle the work, as do all the other young boys."
Stringer has been pleasantly surprised by the level of support given to him and the other draftees by their new teammates and coaches.
"It's been a terrific (set) of circumstances for all us young boys to come into. They've taken control of us and they’re looking after us really well. Everything's perfect," he said.
The youngster revealed he would be working closely with veteran defender Dale Morris. The pair had something in common - they both suffered badly broken legs in 2011.
