THE MORNING after last year's NAB AFL Draft on the Gold Coast, many recruiters were at the nearby Metricon Oval

Some were more bleary-eyed than others, but they were still there, sitting in the stands, talking, assessing, and jotting down notes. On the field was the AFL Academy squad for this 2013/2014, taking part in a full-scale training session.

Less than a day after bringing a whole lot of new draftees into their respective clubs, they had moved on to the next crop. Even then, a shared view on the 2014 draft pool was that there wouldn't really be one. It's so even that each club rates similar players differently.

It has set the tone for a fascinating draft year, where the group is so hard to split that even the prized first pick has never been clear.

The conversation around the No.1 selection reflects the rest of the draft. Two years ago, Hugh Goddard was pegged as a possible No.1 pick. And then Peter Wright took that mantle.

It got shuffled around a few more times, Sam Durdin's name came in and out of the mix, and Paddy McCartin's kept quietly rising, even when he was injured through this season.

Christian Petracca pushed his stocks there through sheer performances: he couldn't have done much more this year and starred when it mattered during the under-18 national carnival.

It has come down to two for the Saints – Petracca and McCartin – but it's a decision they really couldn't get wrong.

Other players emerged to add to the congestion at the top of the order. Jordan De Goey's year built and built until he convinced clubs he had the special traits required to be a goalkicking midfielder.

Liam Duggan shifted from the back pocket into the midfield, Paul Ahern put on some dazzling displays, and Jayden Laverde played well pretty much anywhere he was used.

From early on, the 2014 draft pool was characterised by its tall group at the top-end. But the inconsistencies and injuries to some of them have shaped the uncertainty about who goes where.

Jake Lever's full year out of action with his knee reconstruction has made it harder for clubs to place him, while Caleb Marchbank's exposed form is minimal over the past two years with back and knee injuries.

Nevertheless, clubs will head to Thursday night's draft confident they can find a quality player at any point of the meeting and some have even activated picks later in the piece for that reason.

There will be approximately 80 prospects (including the 12 father-son and academy players) who are senior-listed at the draft, which highlights its depth in the eyes of recruiters. Last year, in comparison, there were only 62 players picked.

Every draft group gets compared to the previous intake, and this year's class is without the same standouts near the top but with a deeper bevy of options later on.

But even as of Wednesday, clubs were in meetings, discussing certain possibilities in the first-round. Few recruiters can remember a year like it, where even so close to the draft there is no clarity.

It's just like they thought it would be 12 months ago.