New Sydney Swans draftee Dylan Stephens has offered a tantalising insight into his outstanding football pedigree, underlining his running ability and versatility as his primary strengths.

The Swans secured their first pick five since Jarrad McVeigh in 2002 when they swooped on Stephens at last week’s AFL Draft.

The youngster then joined the remainder of Sydney’s 2019 draftees for their first day in red and white on Monday, hitting the track at Lakeside Oval, enjoying lunch with their new teammates and touring the club.

Sydney supporters have plenty to be excited about after Stephens offered a glimpse into what he offers as a footballer.

“I like to think at the moment I’m more of an outside mid. I play on a wing or at half-forward and can get on the outside, run and carry, use my left foot and use my combination of speed and endurance,” Stephens told SwansTV.

“I think I do have the ability to play a little bit of both – inside and outside – so in a couple of years, if I can put on a bit of size and get a bit bigger than I am now, hopefully I can really get that combination of inside and outside going.”

Stephens was excellent for South Australia in the 2019 AFL Under-18 Championships, posting an average of 23.8 disposals and 4.8 tackles per game en route to earning selection in the under-18 All Australian side.

The promising midfielder was named in the star-studded All Australian team alongside Will Gould and Elijah Taylor, who were both also drafted to Sydney last week.

Stephens was at his most influential in the final match against the Allies, reeling in 33 touches in a best-on-ground performance.

He was also a stand-out for Norwood in the SANFL’s senior division, averaging 18.2 possessions and 4.6 tackles across 12 matches.

Stephens grew up in Mildura but moved to Adelaide as a 13-year-old to take up a football scholarship at St Peter’s College, which saw him pull on a jumper alongside Swans forward Will Hayward.

“I had spoken to him a fair bit over the last couple of weeks before the draft and he reckons he was starting to hear some rumours – and he was letting me know about it,” Stephens said.

“It’s good to be at the Swans and training with Will again. I’m absolutely loving it.

“At the moment it’s just about getting to know everyone. There are plenty of fresh faces so I just want to get to know the boys, earn their respect, work hard on the track and see where the pre-season takes me. I want to put on some size and get stuck in to it.”