Florida Gators receiver Ricky Pearsall has been selected 31st overall by the San Franscisco 49ers in the 2024 NFL Draft. The selection continues the Gators streak being one of three schools and only SEC school to have a player drafted in the common era draft, which began in 1967.
Overall, Pearsall is the 45th UF wide receiver to be taken, ranking third most in the NCAA and leading the Southeastern Conference. Since 2000, Florida has had 21 receivers drafted and six since 2020. He is the eighth Gator receiver to be drafted in the first round and last since Kadarius Toney (2021, New York Giants, 20th overall).
After transferring from Arizona State in 2022, Pearsall set career highs in yards (661) and touchdowns (5) in his first season with the Gators. The 6’1, 190-pound receiver returned to Gainesville for one final season in an effort to boost his NFL Draft value.
Pearsall logged 965 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, falling short of becoming the first Florida receiver since Taylor Jacobs in 2002 to reach the 1,000-yard milestone.
PEARSALL DOMINATES NFL COMBINE
While Pearsall’s tape and production speaks for itself, his dominant NFL combine shot him up draft boards across the league.
40-yard dash: 4.41
10-yard split: 1.57
Vertical: 42″
Broad jump: 10’9″
3 cone: 6.64
Shuttle: 4.05
Pearsall scored a 9.1 RAS (relative athletic score) out of a possible 10.0, which ranked 31 out of 3,402 WR from 1987 to 2024.
WHAT THEY’RE GETTING IN PEARSALL
Pearsall is an exceptional route runner that has experience in the slot and out wide. Pearsall’s speed and contested catch ability makes him a threat out wide, where the 6’1, 190-pound receiver played 42.2% of his snaps in 2023.
“This guy is a very underrated player,” Florida head coach Billy Napier said of Pearsall. “He is one of the best receivers in the entire country. He’s bigger than you think. He’s more explosive than you think. He came back to improve his stock for the draft, and he’s doing it. Not to mention the leadership and the character that he brings every day, the work habits. Ricky is a very effective player because he’s highly skilled. He can get open at the line. He can separate at the top of the route, and he’s got fantastic ball skills and hand selection.”
The 31st pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is expected to earn 12.32 million total with a $5.7 million signing bonus.
NOTEABLES
- Fifth-straight year a Gator has been drafted in the first round (Anthony Richardson (2023), Kaiir Elam (2022), Kyle Pitts & Kadarius Toney (2021) & CJ Henderson (2020)
- 55th Gator to be drafted in the first round since 1967 (2nd most in SEC, Alabama)
- 27th Gator to be drafted in the first round since 2000
- 18th Gator to be drafted in the first round since 2010
- 5th Gator to be draft in the first round since 2020
- 21th Gator WR drafted since 2000