STRENGTHS:

+ Explosive speed
+ Agility
+ Clean hands
+ Forward craft
+ Footy IQ
+ Skills
+ Upside

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Consistency
- Strength
- Goalkicking accuracy

There are plenty of quick players in this year's AFLW Draft crop, but Gerardi might well be the quickest. Though some might cite the 20m sprint times and the like, Gerardi was battling illness during the State Combine testing which reduced her potential. Take one look at her on the field, and there are few - if any - that can catch her at full flight.

She is one of those players who when looking like being at top speed and an opponent is closing in on her, she goes up another gear again and breaks clear. That explosive speed, combined with her agility have both being features on the court as well as the football field. Her athletic traits as a whole - she can also jump - make her the all-round athletic star, and though endurance is an area she is working on to gain greater consistency, Gerardi has the rest of the profile locked in.

But Gerardi is not just a pure athlete. She does have a number of terrific footballing traits. With clean hands at ground level, Gerardi is able to take the ball in one fell swoop, then burst away and break down opposition defences. With ball in hand, she uses it exceptionally well, with little dagger passes or classy handballs that can trick the opposition.

Her smarts extend to the front half of the ground where she knows her way around inside 50. She has the goal sense and forward craft that only further make her such a damaging proposition for any opponent. That natural knowledge combined with her skills and athleticism means she also has a stack of upside for the future.

In saying that, Gerardi has not had the same level of exposure as others given her basketball commitments and injury interruptions. It means her consistency on-field has been tested, while her goalkicking accuracy can also cause Gerardi to leave a few potential majors out there. She is so good at getting looks from limited opportunities, but can improve again by finishing those look off.

On top of that, as a lighter bodied player, Gerardi will need to build greater strength to compete at the top level. If the ball gets to space she will beat anyone one-on-one, but if engaged in a wrestle, she is far less likely to succeed, so naturally that is a way forward for the talented forward.

As a whole, Gerardi is a high-risk, high-reward pick. The risk does not come from her footballing ability, but more so the fact that she has a deep love for basketball, and has openly said if she got an opportunity overseas in College or the WNBA, she would take it. That means the associated risk with her departing to chase that dream, though if she does stay in Australia, the high reward kicks in. She will go late in the draft if picked up, and will most likely far exceed her pick number.