NORTH Melbourne's decision to give up its second-round pick in the NAB AFL Draft in exchange for VFL defender Cam Richardson turned a few heads on the final day of trade week.

However, Richardson, who had been pre-listed by Gold Coast, isn't the only player from North Ballarat's 2010 premiership team who appears headed for the big time.

When the draft takes place in Queensland on Thursday, November 18, expect to hear the name Isaac Smith read out at some stage during the evening.

If you fancy yourself as a talent scout, don't fret if you've never heard of Smith.

That's because the 21-year-old mobile forward, who grew up in Cootamundra in southern New South Wales, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent months.

At the start of the 2010 season he was running around with Redan in the Ballarat League, but his surge towards the AFL began when he was selected in the Victorian team that played in the national bush footy carnival in Canberra in June.

Smith, who stands 186.6cm and weighs 75kg, was a standout performer in attack as the Vics won the title.

"He's following in the footsteps of former Sydney Swans captain Brett Kirk, who is the last player I can remember being discovered at the country championships," AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan told afl.com.au.

After his breakout performances in Canberra, Smith accepted an invitation from highly regarded coach Gerard FitzGerald to join North Ballarat.

He went on to play six senior games for the Roosters, three of which were finals.

In the VFL grand final against the Northern Bullants, he booted a goal and set up a few more as North Ballarat won its third successive flag.
 
Smith then impressed a host of AFL scouts when he took part in the Victorian State Combine screening session for potential draftees, held on the morning of the grand final replay between Collingwood and St Kilda.

His running vertical jump of 89cm put him in the top three per cent of those tested in Melbourne, while his time of 2.88 seconds for the 20m sprint put him in the top five per cent.

He also recorded a score of 14.6 in the arduous beep test, meaning his endurance was in the top 15 per cent.

"When you put his combine results, which tell you about his athletic ability, together with his form in the last half a dozen games of the year, he's just had an enormous turnaround," Sheehan said.

"These sorts of numbers give him a fantastic chance of being drafted, or rookie-listed at worst.

"He might have to progress that way, as Brett Kirk did, but importantly there's an enormous awareness now of who this young man is."