Collingwood's first selection at the 2016 National Draft, Sam McLarty, expects his injured shoulder to only restrict him from joining full training for a couple of weeks.

The burly young defender played just seven matches with Oakleigh Chargers in 2016 because of the injury, but the Magpies did not hesitate to use pick No. 30 to bring him to the club.

"The shoulder is holding up really well," McLarty said.

"I should be back into full training in a few weeks."

HIGHLIGHTS: The best of Sam McLarty's junior football.

Not only will hordes of Magpie supporters be watching the 18-year-old's progress, those at the hearing unit at Yarra Valley Grammar, where he has been a student throughout his schooling, will be interested onlookers.

McLarty has excelled at the school, becoming the first student from the hearing unit to become school captain and the first player wearing a cochlear implant to join an AFL list.

Head of the hearing unit, Ian Saynor, said it was a significant achievement for anyone to be drafted but McLarty's effort had raised some cheers at the school. 

"The excitement it has caused around here has been unbelievable," Saynor told AFL Media.

The fact McLarty relies on the cochlear implant was irrelevant to Magpie recruiters – they left any questions on that issue to the doctors – who loved his competitiveness and the potential for him to turn into a player in the mould of premiership defender Ben Reid. 

Saynor said his hearing will have no impact on his football, with the only aspects his coaches will need to be aware of his where he is placed at team meetings and in quarter and three-quarter time huddles.

McLarty will find his way to the right spot anyway, according to Saynor.

"He's very good at that," Saynor said.

Finding the right spot is something McLarty seems to manage on the ground too, taking strong marks at junior level and kicking the ball well.

He's not sure whether his peripheral vision has been enhanced to compensate for his hearing, and his big smile and confident outlook make it clear to everyone it is a non-issue.

"It's just who I am. It's the way it had been. It is the way it always will be. I don't know any different and the family knows no different as well," McLarty said.

"I just live my life as normally as I can and just enjoy every bit of it."

Saynor said the cochlear implant has served McLarty well and will continue to do so.

According to Saynor, the only other thing those now working alongside Collingwood's newest No. 35 might want to guarantee is that a back-up processor and spare batteries remain handy in the trainers' kit just in case something goes wrong.

For McLarty, the journey just continues as he tries to develop as the Magpies and their fans hope he might.

"I think he is very fortunate to be going to a great Melbourne club. I think he is a very, very lucky young man," Saynor said.

For McLarty the shoulder is the most pressing concern.

"I'm really happy with how that is progressing and I think the medicos are too."