Of course, recruiters drool at the talent at the pointy end of every talent pool, but season after season, rare gems are unearthed late in the national draft, or in the subsequent pre-season and rookie drafts.
This year, Brisbane Lions vice-captain Tom Rockliff has everyone asking that question after his emergence as a genuine, elite AFL midfielder.
The kid from country Victoria has been a rock in the Lions' engine room all season - a rare bright spot in a season of gloom for the Lions, which could finish with the club winning the wooden spoon.
But Rockliff - who was added to the club's leadership group at the start of the season at the tender age of 21- almost slipped through the net.
In 2008, the Benalla teenager was a skilled but slowish, undersized marking forward for the Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup.
The kid could definitely play. He won the John Byrne Medal as the Bushrangers' best and fairest in their premiership year, and topped the TAC Cup goalkicking ladder. But most recruiters thumbed their nose at him. He was seen as a clever forward with an undoubted knack of kicking goals, but his lack of pace and average aerobic capacity were major negatives.
Two of his teammates that year, Jack Ziebell and Steele Sidebottom, were the stars of the show for the Bushies. It was always apparent that Ziebell and Sidebottom were destined to become successful, long-term AFL players.
Sidebottom in particular caught the eye - especially after his remarkable 10-goal haul in the TAC Cup Grand Final.
Ziebell - the manchild whose toughness was legendary, even at senior Ovens and Murray level as a 15-year-old - was also drawing rave reviews from AFL recruiters.
But Rockliff was the unknown. There was certain things he did extremely well - he had an uncanny goal sense and he was a 'natural' footballer. But he wasn't a natural athlete - far from it. He certainly didn't have Sidebottom's running capacity, or Ziebell's uncompromising hardness.
Come NAB AFL Draft day, Ziebell was taken by North Melbourne at pick nine, Sidebottom went to the Pies at pick 11, and silky Bushranger flanker Sam Wright was something of a bolter, with the Roos picking him up at number 27.
Rockliff was passed over 85 times. Say it slowly - 85 times. He then faced an agonising two-and-a-half week wait until the pre-season draft was held - with all the focus on disgraced former Eagle Ben Cousins.
When the Brisbane Lions called Rockliff's name at pick five - one ahead of new Tiger Cousins - even the most optimistic club official couldn't have predicted the young man's impact in his first three years.
Now, Rockliff is one of the brightest prospects on the Lions' list. It took two gut-busting pre-seasons to get his fitness up to AFL level. Slowly, he was able to match it with the League's premier midfielders.
The 2010 rising star nominee is averaging 27 possessions a game this year - notching a career-best 34 touches (23 kicks 11 handballs), seven marks, five tackles and a goal in Sunday's loss to Adelaide.
He is also approaching Dream Team royalty. This season, he is averaging 108 points - more than perennial DT guns Jobe Watson, Leigh Montagna, Brendon Goddard and Paul Chapman.
In comparison, Sidebottom is averaging 88 - he can console himself with his 2010 premiership medal - and Ziebell is hovering around the 80 mark, but is only just starting to realise his immense potential after two years blighted by serious injury.
It's anyone's guess if Rockliff's chart will continue to streak upwards, but it's no stretch to say he was one of the absolute steals of the 2008 draft pool and could potentially become the jewel in the crown of the Murray Bushrangers' class of '08.
Three years ago, the Lions took a risk on a slow, unfit, undersized forward, and have been rewarded by the development of a hard-running, combative, courageous young leader.
