Ricky Pearsall reveals how playing in the SEC prepared him for the NFL

As he prepares to make the jump to the NFL, Ricky Pearsall believes his experience playing in the SEC gives him an advantage. Pearsall spent the past two seasons of his college career playing at Florida, where he got the opportunity to face some of the top defenses in the country.

The receiver put up solid numbers, too, with a combined 98 catches for 1,626 yards and nine touchdowns. Joining The Paul Finebaum Show on Tuesday, he opened up on what he learned from the SEC that he will carry with him to the pros.

“I think the SEC is probably the closest thing to the NFL level when it comes to speed,” Pearsall said. “A lot of guys coming from college going to the NFL, it takes a little bit to get used to some of that speed over there. But I think the SEC is probably the closest thing to that speed, and a lot of a scouts through this time have actually told me that. So that’s helped me.”

Pearsall’s numbers coupled with a strong performance at the NFL Combine has caused his draft stock to continue to climb of late. He had the third-best vertical among the receivers at 42 inches, while his broad jump of 10 feet and nine inches tied for sixth.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. recently predicted that Pearsall could go as high as the second round. In fact, he could end up being a gem for whoever gets him. Other receivers such as Cooper Kupp went in the later rounds of the draft but blossomed into NFL superstars.

Pearsall has also been watching film of receivers like Kupp and others trying to soak up anything he can from their game.

“There’s a lot of good receivers in the NFL right now,” he said. “And I think that’s part of being a good receiver yourself, honestly, is stealing certain things that guys are doing at a high level and having high success with. I like guys like Justin Jefferson. I think he does it a really high level. He’s really good at in and out of his breaks. He’s super explosive at the line of scrimmage, and I like guys like Amari Cooper and Davante Adams, too.

“I like to watch their release game and how they use different tempos at the line of scrimmage. Guys like Cooper Kupp, obviously. Him filling out the zones and he’s a smart guy, good route-runner at the top of his routes, too, as well. So there’s all kinds of guys I could throw out there that are doing it at a high level, but it’s just about watching film and stealing some of their stuff, really.”

Pearsall began his career at Arizona State before transferring to Gainesville in 2022, so he’s seen the difference in level of play between the SEC and other power conferences. These past two years at Florida are something he’ll treasure for the rest of his life as he hopes to hear his name called in the NFL Draft in April.

“Coming from the Pac-12 to the SEC is a little bit different,” he said. “I would definitely say the front seven’s moving a little bit faster. But I just want to highlight the traditions and the history, really, of the SEC and what carries with that. Obviously, the University of Florida is a very historic university.

“I can’t say enough about the University of Florida. They’ve done a whole lot for me and I had fun every time I stepped into The Swamp.”