Ricky Pearsall takes in Florida Gators Pro Day as a spectator
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It was hard to miss Ricky Pearsall in his black Jordan Brand hat and Florida Gators Pro Day hoodie with his name and number on the back. While Pearsall was in attendance for Florida’s Pro Day he didn’t need his cleats. Pearsall’s play last fall, his time in Mobile for the Senior Bowl and his impressive NFL Combine numbers have made him one of the fastest risers in the 2024 NFL Draft.
There was nothing left to prove to the 31 NFL teams in attendance on Thursday. While he didn’t work out, Pearsall did meet with several teams and watched film with a coach as he continued to rise up draft boards.
“I met with some people today. I watched some film with a coach, one of the receivers coaches that came out here. He was telling me that if I was working out there would have been a lot more,” Pearsall said on Thursday after Pro Day. “We went up there and we watched some film. I went up there with the Rams just now, too. And we just were talking ball, man.”
Pearsall has years of tape and an exceptional NFL Combine performance going for him. He was targeted 136 times over the last two seasons in Gainesville and just three drops. He’s reliable and this recent rise hasn’t caught him off guard, it’s what he’s been working to achieve for years.
“From an outside perspective it could look like that. But this is something that I’ve always wanted,” he said. “So I’ve expected this. For me it’s no surprise I’m here at this moment. It’s something I can just expand on. It’s really a good opportunity. It’s just a blessing.”
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Mel Kiper evaluates Ricky Pearsall
Pearsall was graded as a second-round pick by ESPN’s Mel Kiper. Speaking on a teleconference, Kiper offered this about Pearsall’s game and draft stock.
“I think he’s going solid second round,” Kiper said. “Obviously, everything he has done at Arizona State, Florida, senior bowl, the combine, everything’s been outstanding with him.”
“He’s a 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver who ran a 4.41,” Kiper elaborated. “He has good strength, he’s got tremendous athletic ability, a vertical of 42 inches, that’s unbelievable vertical. When you look at the production at Florida, what he did at Arizona State, I talked to Herm Edwards and the first thing he says to me is, ‘That’s my guy, Pearsall.’ He was saying that before the year even began. Herm loves the kid.
“He tests off the charts, he’s tough, he’s aggressive with the ball in his hands, he loves football. There’s no way, after the numbers he’s shown, he gets out of the second round. It wouldn’t shock me if he went very early in the second.”
