JACOB Weitering took six marks in the opening quarter, three of which were contested.

He jumped, stuck his hands out and wrapped them around the ball so tightly it sounded like it the Sherrin was about to pop each time.

He kicked the ball 60m out of the backline off two steps, and directed play.

That Weitering did all of it while playing for the NAB AFL Academy against Werribee's VFL side, and matched up against North Melbourne forward Majak Daw, made it even more impressive.

Since that 35-minute opening term last month at Simonds Stadium (the quarter stretched on and on), the key defender has been the clear favourite as this year's No.1 draft pick.

Click here for all the draft news

"In one quarter he showed he was a cut above the rest," one recruiter said. "He outplayed AFL opponents and did everything and more that you could have wanted to see from him."

"I'm yet to find a fault in him," said another recruiter. "If he's not the first pick, then I'll fall off my chair."

Weitering is smart, considered and humble. His assessment of that game, where he finished with 16 disposals and eight marks and was a standout for the team of draft hopefuls, is typically understated.

But the 195cm and 94kg prospect knows he took the chance to show he could match up against men.

"You always want to start a game well, and when I found out I'd be playing on Majak, some of my friends said 'Have a look at the build on him', and everyone has seen the photo of him coming out of the water on the beach," Weitering told AFL.com.au.

"But I just thought to myself, why can't I beat him? Yeah he's an AFL-listed player, but that's what I want to be and that's who I'll be up against if I do make an AFL list."

The if can probably be left out of that equation now.

The week after beating Daw, Weitering backed it up against Carlton-listed forward Matthew Watson in the Academy's nine-point loss to the Northern Blues at the MCG.

From centre half-back, Weitering nudged Watson under the ball, had 21 disposals and eight rebound-50s, and was pleased he made every contest a hard one for the first-round Blues draftee.

In the four weeks since those games, he has been mentioned more and more as the possible top pick at the NAB AFL Draft. He understands it is a long way off, and knows how to separate the discussion from having any impact on his footy, even if it has crept into his day-to-day life.

"You open up social media and you see that stuff and it does stick. My friends see it and even teachers at school have come up and said, 'Look at this'," he said, pointing to his iPhone.

"It can be a positive and negative. I take it all in my stride, and know I need to have a strong and consistent year, and most of all enjoy it."

He has already had a glimpse into how to handle the hype. Weitering lives in Mornington, goes to the Peninsula School and grew up playing junior footy for Mt Martha. Three age groups ahead of him there was Lachie Whitfield, also a former Peninsula student.

From afar he saw Whitfield be talked up as the likely first pick at the 2012 draft for almost two years, and watched him play well over and over again as more expectations were placed on him.

Weitering sees the Greater Western Sydney midfielder's mum often – Maryanne Whitfield still does regular shifts in the Peninsula school tuck shop – and has observed his career closely. When GWS beat Melbourne in 2013, Weitering even joked to his dad he might stop being a Demons supporter and follow Whitfield's Giants.

Jacob Weitering is a strong chance to be the No.1 pick at this year's draft. Picture: AFL Media



"I always wanted to play AFL, but then looking at Lachie Whitfield and always hearing what he did at junior footy level made me want it more," Weitering said.

"He just kept upping the ante at every level he played and he dealt with the pressure really well. He was the golden child down on the peninsula."

Weitering hasn't always been a towering tall defender. Last year in his 13 games for the Dandenong Stingrays he was used on the wing, and the half-forward and half-back flanks. He wanted to settle into one spot for his draft season, an aim that was helped by a growth spurt over the past two years.

At under-15s level, Weitering was about 177cm. But he grew rapidly, shot past his mum and dad, and with his 18th birthday not until late November, he might have some growing to go. He will hold down a key defensive post at the upcoming NAB AFL Under-18 Championships that start later this month for a Vic Country team tipped to win the division one title.

Jacob Weitering in action during a NAB AFL Academy training session late last year. Picture: AFL Media



Ambitious, studious and mature enough to make some recruiters think he could be interviewing them, Weitering doesn't see the national carnival as the defining period of his draft year but just part of it.

The start of it, he thinks, might actually have been the most encouraging, when he spent a week at the Brisbane Lions in January as part of the AFL Academy program.

He flew up on a Sunday by himself, stayed with Lions pair Sam Mayes and Marco Paparone, and at 7am the next morning was running a two-kilometre time trial in 30-degree heat.

He was so tired he barely used his mobile phone all week, but Weitering's stint at the Lions left him confident about what lies ahead.

"I did everything there – all the drills, all the weights and I was treated as another player. I absolutely loved it. The only thing I didn't do was have a massage. There were 10 tables in the rotations and I was the 11th in our group, so I thought I better let the AFL boys take them," Weitering said.

"On the way up to Brisbane I was a little nervous and unsure about what was going to happen, because obviously it's a massive step going into an elite environment and it's the pinnacle of the sport. But the main thing for me was I found I can do it."