STRENGTHS:

+ Agility
+ Clean hands
+ Scoreboard impact
+ Speed
+ Vertical jump
+ X-Factor

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Finishing
- Kicking

Few others compare to Hotton in the way of all-round athleticism. Putting his preseason testing numbers against the best of the National Draft Combine, Hotton would have placed third in the 20-metre sprint (2.882 seconds), second for the running vertical jump (93cm), and first in the agility test (7.807 seconds). Not only does he implement each facet into his game on-field, but they are all genuine strengths.

Hotton's speed off the mark is electric. He comes to life with ball in hand, able to burn off opponents in an instant or make them look silly with his twists, turns, and side-steps. Such traits also allow him to manufacture shots on goal and effectively exit stoppages. His leap has long been a standout feature, observed through his many highlight reel marks and strong ability overhead at 182cm.

The aspect which took Hotton's game to the next level in 2024 was high vastly improved running capacity. It allowed him to shift from a low-possession, high-impact forward, to a bonafide on-baller capable of leading all comers. What's more, he maintained his ability to influence forward of centre, still hitting the scoreboard in bunches and taking high marks both inside 50 and up the ground.

Hotton is a crafty ground level player and attending a greater amount of stoppages this year allowed that attribute to shine. Much like elder brother Olli, he is clean at the contest and has the explosive burst necessary to find exits. Although, he can still find improvement in his finishing touch. Hotton's kicking is the main area he is keen to work on once he returns to training, which should in-turn enhance his finishing ability.

Capable of producing a wealth of scoring opportunities, Hotton struggled to take full advantage of them at times across the journey. He showed signs of becoming more clinical in his early games for Sandringham this season, and can only continue to improve with more work on his end product. That being the case, Hotton's already high impact per possession has the potential to explode with an extra bit of polish.