Sam Draper’s Gawn dawn

ESSENDON ruckman Sam Draper is tipped to form a crucial part of the club’s next generation.

The 22-year-old has only just returned from a syndesmosis sustained against Port Adelaide in round 2, with Andrew Phillips deputising in his absence.

Bombers football boss Josh Mahoney – who recently spent time at Melbourne in a similar role – said many of Draper’s traits reminded him of current Dees captain Max Gawn.

He said the young ruckman looms as a “really important” player for Essendon in the future, saying he was now in need of more game time at AFL level to further his development as a player.

“We just want to get him out [on the field] there a bit more,” he said on AFL Nation.

“He’s only played a couple of games back now after being injured in round 2, he has such a presence.

“He reminds me so much of [Max Gawn] in the early days and the impact he can have. If he can track along as well as Maxy has, he’s going to be a really important player for us.”

Draper comes from a soccer background, having landed at Essendon with the first pick of the 2016 Rookie Draft.

After several years of development at VFL level, he made his AFL debut last year, while he’s now played five games so far this season.