1988 VFL draft
The 1988 VFL draft, held on 9 November 1988, was the third annual national draft held by the Victorian Football League. It consisted of a pre-season draft and a national draft.
In 1988 there were 112 picks to be drafted between 14 teams in the national draft. The Hawthorn Football Club received the first pick in the national draft, after receiving it from St Kilda in the first ever trade involving draft picks, in return for Paul Harding, Peter Russo and Robert Handley.
Pre-draft selections
| Pick | Player | Drafted to | Recruited from | League | Games with new team |
| 1 | Stevan Jackson | South Fremantle | WAFL | 38 | |
| 2 | Don Pyke | Claremont | WAFL | 132 | |
| 3 | Peter Sumich | South Fremantle | WAFL | 150 | |
| 4 | Craig Turley | West Perth | WAFL | 115 | |
| 5 | Scott Watters | South Fremantle | WAFL | 46 |