JASON Taylor says he’s been delighted with Melbourne’s class of 2014, with several draftees having already made their AFL debut this year.

The national recruiting manager said the group had shown plenty to like about their game, even though there was still plenty of development left in their game.

But so far, he’s been rapt with the way they’ve gone about it.

“I think they’ve been able to come in and perform at a level we thought they would with their competitiveness and willingness to compete throughout the week and then on game day, so that’s been promising,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“It’s all good for those young boys to get a taste of it, find their feet, learn their game plan, structures and how the coaches want them to go about it.

“Then they can really take some confidence into the second half of the year – but also into their next pre-season – so they can get that under their belt and into next year as well. So there has been some promise there.”

Melbourne secured Angus Brayshaw, Billy Stretch, Alex Neal-Bullen, Christian Petracca and Oscar McDonald in last year’s NAB AFL Draft. Only Petracca and McDonald have yet to make their AFL debut.

But if Petracca hadn’t have suffered a season-ending knee injury in the pre-season, he would’ve almost certainly played in the opening round of the season, such was his form on the track. At the very least, he would’ve made his debut in the early part of the season.

And Taylor said it would not surprise him if McDonald made his AFL debut by the season’s end.

Aaron vandenBerg has been one of the finds of the AFL season – having been recruited as a mature-age rookie from Ainslie, while Melbourne’s other rookie Mitch White is developing strongly via Casey.

“Aaron’s a bit more mature, in age and body wise, but he’s new to AFL,” Taylor said.

“Even Billy has come in – as a light-bodied player – but he’s been able to really put his head down and we knew he’d be able to do that. His VFL form was good and he got rewarded and he’s had a taste of the AFL now and he’s done some OK things.

“Alex Neal-Bullen has had a look at it as well.”

Combine those draftees, who started the season without AFL experience, along with Sam Frost, Jeff Garlett, Heritier Lumumba and Ben Newton, who joined Melbourne from opposition clubs, and the red and blue’s 2014 recruiting has been most impressive less so far.

And it should be noted that Neville Jetta was reinstated back onto the senior list for 2015, after reinvigorating his career last year, having started 2014 as a rookie. 

Taylor said it was also pleasing to see second-year rookie James Harmes make his AFL debut against Essendon last round. Another second-year rookie Max King has also had made good strides for Casey this year.

“It was good to see James get a run,” he said.

“He’s a classic case – and by his own admission – of someone taking his time to get his head around it all. We’d like draftees to get their head around it straight away, by trying to educate them throughout the year, when we interview them.

“But they’re young men and they take time and as long as they show improvement, which James has been able to do, and the penny has started to drop, then he’s got reward for his effort.”