Top AFL draft prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan wants to be the next Lance Franklin

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There are clear similarities between Ugle-Hagan and Franklin, a four-time Coleman medallist. Both are Indigenous, athletic freaks and left-footers.

Ugle-Hagan said he tried to model himself on the Sydney champion.

“I just use him as a person that sets goals for me,” Ugle-Hagan said on Wednesday.

“Everyone has that person you want to become, or even do better [than].”

“But it’s just setting yourself a high goal to obviously do what’s best for me. I’d like to think that I can get there.

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“[Comparisons to Franklin are] just words at the end of the day – I’ve got to show my X-factor on the field and off the field but they’re just words. I just use it as a drive and obviously, hopefully [I can] get there one day. It’s good to have other people believing that I can.”

Speaking about the significance of the No.1 selection, Ugle-Hagan said: “At the end of the day it’s just a number.”

The Crows are yet to publicly commit to a bid on Ugle-Hagan but Adelaide coach Matthew Nicks told SEN radio on Wednesday that they would do so if they believed he was the best available player.

“I’m there to pick the best possible players in the draft and with that you use all your expertise and the guys that have watched them for years,” Nicks said.

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“We’ll pick the best player that we believe is in the draft and if that’s Ugle-Hagan – because he’s a super talented footballer, then that’s where I guess a bid will come in because we believe he should be No.1 in the draft.

“We’re not going to go out of our way to pick a young kid who’s not that and risk not getting the best player in the draft.

“I’m not going to give too much away, but [Ugle-Hagan] is extremely good. There are a number of players that sit around that first pick.”

The Crows have said they are “down to four” players in the mix for No.1, widely viewed to be Ugle Hagan, West Australian key forward Logan McDonald, South Australian tall Riley Thillthorpe and Victorian midfielder/forward Elijah Hollands.

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“We’re down to four and we won’t make a decision until we’ve got all the information in case there’s something in there, but it’s pretty routine information required,” Adelaide recruiting chief Hamish Ogilvie told the club’s website.

“It’s just a bit later than normal because of the constraints that everyone’s had this year with medical testing, combine testing, location, travel, doctors not having access to put their hands on the players, so that just made it more difficult and took more time.”