2024 NFL Draft prospect profile: Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida

Is Pearsall one of the hidden gems in this draft class?

It’s a mark of just how deep the wide receiver class in the 2024 NFL Draft is that seemingly everywhere you turn, there’s another receiver who should be getting more buzz.

Florida wideout Ricky Pearsall is one of those players who would solidly be in the Top 10 of any other receiver class, but is flying under the radar in this stacked class. Pearsall isn’t the biggest, most athletic, or most dangerous receiver in the class. However, he has an exciting blend of athleticism, toughness, and playmaking ability that make him a very intriguing prospect.

The New York Giants need to continue to add to their offense, and Pearsall’s ability to make big plays with the ball in his hands could complement Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt’s vertical speed.

Prospect: Ricky Pearsall (1)
Games Watched: vs. Utah (2023), vs. Tennessee (2023), vs. Kentucky (2023), vs. Georgia (2023)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte (@mathbomb) | RAS.football

Strengths

• Athleticism
• Competitive toughness
• Body control
• Run after catch
• Blocking
• Play without the ball

Pearsall is an athletic, versatile, and competitive receiver prospect.

Pearsall played a variety of roles in the Florida offense, lining up as both a slot and wide receiver and was also very frequently put into motion. In fact, there were instances in which the Gators would send Pearsall in motion on every running play. Pearsall showed some intriguing savvy in that area as well.

He generally worked hard to sell the threat of a jet sweep when he was serving as misdirection, trying to pull defenders away from the intended running lane. Conversely, he would throttle down when sent into pre-snap motion when he was the intended receiver. Pearsall would almost jog at a leisurely pace from one side of the field to the other in an attempt to convince the defense that he wouldn’t be getting the ball, only to turn upfield against a void in the defense.

While Pearsall wasn’t a high-volume option in the tape viewed, Florida got the ball to him as a runner, on screens, and down the field on vertical concepts. Pearsall proved to be a dangerous player with the ball in his hands, thanks to his quickness, agility, and vision as a runner. He has solid quickness in and out of his breaks, as well as the body control to contort and pick up yards after contact.

His body control also showed up as a receiver. He’s able to contort to maximize his catch radius, extending to pluck the ball out of the air and flashed the ability to make extremely difficult “circus” catches.

Pearsall was also frequently used as a blocker on screens and in the running game. He has good competitive toughness and is a willing blocker for his teammates. Not only does he step up to meet defenders around the line of scrimmage, he transitions quickly from receiver to blocker for his teammates. Once engaged, he has adequate strength to take on similarly-sized defenders and works hard to sustain his blocks for as long as possible.

Weaknesses

• Catch consistency
• Play strength
• Route diversity

While Pearsall has adequate size for the position, his arms are a bit on the short side for his height and he has a (slightly) slim build. Taken together, he can have some issues with play strength which crop up throughout his game.

He’s a very tough receiver who’s willing to take on contact down the field and as a blocker. However, his arms can limit his ability to play over or around defensive backs, which can lead to him being disturbed at the catch point and having the ball knocked away (or jarred loose). Likewise, he’s a willing blocker, but longer DBs are able to get their hands on him first and discard his blocks, while bigger safeties can overpower him.

The most frustrating aspect of Pearsall’s game were the drops when the game sped up. He had at least one drop in three of the four games viewed, three of which came when he was the “hot” receiver when the QB was under pressure. Even though Pearsall turned to present a target for his quarterback, he seemed surprised that the ball would be on him quickly. That could point to issues with concentration, processing, or situational awareness, though it could also be something that can be improved with coaching.

Game Tape

(Pearsall is Florida WR number 1)

Projection

Pearsall projects as a rotational receiver to start his career.

He’ll likely be looked at as a slot option in most offenses, however he has the upside to be more versatile and something of an offensive weapon for offenses that look to scheme space and run-after-catch opportunities. Teams that value receivers as blockers will also likely value Pearsall highly.

Pearsall has the potential to be a good starter early in his career, however he’ll need to develop greater consistency at the catch point as well as a broader route tree. He has the upside to be a good technician as a route runner, but he isn’t quite there yet. Becoming a more refined technician could make Pearsall into a true threat at all levels of the field.

Does he fit the Giants?
It’s complicated. Pearsall would fit the Giants’ offense, but might not fit on their roster.

Final Word: A solid Day 2 value