The experts had them going for a tall defender with their first pick, but the Hawks took a 'best available' approach in opting for West Perth midfielder Bradley Hill, one of the standout athletes in Thursday's AFL national draft.
The whippet-thin 18-year-old brother of Fremantle star Stephen Hill grabbed everyone's attention at last month's AFL draft combine with a 16.1 beep test which smashed the previous record, Chris Judd's 15.2, which had stood for a decade.
Hill then went out and left everyone in his wake in the 3km time trial.
"We thought he tested really well which was great and certainly that would have pushed him up the (draft) order for a lot of people," said Hawthorn recruiting manager Graham Wright of Hill who went at pick 33.
"Anyone who does a 16-beep, it hasn't been done before at the draft camp so, from that point of view, it's massive."
"But we just felt his second half of the year at West Perth was outstanding - really improved, getting a lot more of the footy and we thought his work rate was really good."
At 72kg Hill has a summer of conditioning ahead of him and Wright said aspects of the way he goes about it on the field also need refining.
But the club is confident he's much more than an elite runner.
"He gets to a lot of the right spots but just doesn't receive the footy - he just doesn't demand the footy enough," said Wright.
"He realises that and he's got to improve that, but from that point of view we think he's got a massive upside."
The Hawks got the defender they were after with their second selection, No.38, in the form of Jordan Kelly from Edithvale-Aspendale and nabbed Dandenong Stingrays midfielder Alex Woodward with the last of their three picks.
"Jordan is a 192cm defender who can either play as a rebounding or negating defender," said Wright.
"He kicks with both feet, great courage, uses the ball well, good decision-maker and we just felt that at that pick he was great value for us."
"Alex Woodward at 53, we were a massive wrap on Alex, though I'm sure you here that a lot in this room, everyone walks out of here happy, but the proof's in the pudding a little bit."
"Alex is a real high possession-winner, inside-mid with good speed and good endurance."
"We feel in time he'll actually form part of a good midfield for us."