Essendon forward Kyle Langford has declared Bombers whiz kid Nate Caddy a future superstar of the AFL.
Just three games into his AFL career, the 18-year-old is already showing the talent and confidence he demonstrated at junior level.
Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton even declared Caddy a "draft steal" despite the Bombers taking him with pick 10 last November.
The 193cm forward was not daunted by playing against reigning premiers Collingwood last Friday night in front of 81,711 fans.
Caddy kicked 1.3 from 12 possessions and also had eight score involvements in a vital Bombers victory, exciting his teammates.
When asked generally about Essendon's forward line, Langford replied: "how good was Cadds?"
"He's going to be a superstar," Langford told AAP.
"It's great for him to get a few opportunities.
"We see him each week growing with confidence
"He's raw as anything, but yeah he's just a really great kid, first and foremost.
"He really does want to put in the work and be a professional.
"He's just growing every week and it's great to see him get the reward for effort."
AFL coaches can often be reluctant to hype up young players too much in fear of the pressure that could bring.
But Bombers coach Brad Scott has not held back in his public assessments, even though Caddy was dropped after his debut, then after impressing with two goals against West Coast in round 16.
"He is a point of a difference - it's very rare that you see a first-year key forward who can have an impact on a game like he can," Scott said after beating Collingwood.
Scott has already guaranteed Caddy's selection for the Bombers' clash with Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday night.
"I have a really strong philosophy that when we bring players in, we want to bring them in ready to perform at AFL level," Scott said on Wednesday.
"'I'm not a fan of just bringing guys in to see what happens.
"We weren't surprised, we brought him in to play that role against Collingwood and he played it really, really well."
