From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I’ll be profiling Florida WR Ricky Pearsall Jr.
#1 RICKY PEARSALL JR./WR FLORIDA – 6010, 189 LBS. (R-SENIOR)
Senior Bowl
Combine
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Ricky Pearsall Jr. | 6010/189 | 9 1/4 | 30 7/8 | 73 3/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.41 | 1.57 | 4.05 | 6.64 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’9″ | 42 | 17 |
THE GOOD
– Good release and short area quickness to beat jams at the line
– Great hands and ball tracking to readjust to the ball in the air
– Good awareness of zones to identify soft areas of defense
– Willing blocker and fits into blocks well
– Crafty route runner with head fakes and varied timing
– Late hands makes it difficult for defenders to play the ball
– Navigates traffic in the middle of the field well
– Consistent effort on all plays
THE BAD
– Lacks a top-gear to separate long down the field
– Overuses double moves, wastes movement on routes
– Not enough strength to sustain blocks, falls off blocks too easily
– Lack of long speed makes it difficult to force defenders to open up hips when he presses his routes
– Limited shake with the ball in his hands, not much YAC
– Rounds off some of his routes
– Overall athletic ability is just adequate
BIO
– Originally a three-star prospect out of Corona Del Sol HS in Tempe, AZ
– 23 years old, will be 24 in September
– Spent three seasons at Arizona State before finishing out his final two with Florida
– Logged 159 receptions for 2,420 receiving yards, and 14 TDs; 21 rushing attempts for 253 yards and five TDs
– Led the SEC in 2022 for yards per reception (20.0 ypc)
– Threw for one TD pass on a gadget play
– Also played safety in high school
– Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention (2021)
– SEC Academic Honor Roll (2022-23)
– His father, Ricky Pearsall Sr., played college football at Northern Arizona and is a Fire Department Captain
– Had a foot injury prior to his 2022 season, but recovered in time for Week One
– Named a game captain for Florida’s biggest game of the season against Georgia in 2023
– Limited experience with punt return, almost zero with kick return
TAPE BREAKDOWN
His best trait as a receiver is his hands and his ability to readjust to the ball in the air. His hands are strong in traffic and soft at the catch point. On the first play of this clip, the ball is thrown behind him and he pivots back to catch it back shoulder for a big gain. On the second play, he shows a nice catch above his frame and away from his body. From the three games watched, there were zero dropped passes and PFF only credited two drops all season in 2023.
His release off the line is good and he has a package of moves that he likes to use to beat press-man coverage and jams at the line of scrimmage. He has good foot quickness and moves his body well to break free into his routes.
He has a good sense of how to get open against zone defenses. He will vary his speed to maximize his windows in the soft spots of zone defenses and makes subtle movements in his routes to throw defenders off. He spent a lot of time in the slot throughout college, so this was a huge part of his game. On the second play of this clip, you can see that the defender doesn’t respect his long speed enough to flip his hips early, so Pearsall runs just past him before turning back around to get open.
Because of the lack of top-end athleticism and long speed, he is overly reliant on double moves to get open. Sometimes that works well, but others he just ends up wasting movement and getting to his spot late. On the first play of the clip he uses two fakes and ends up running right into the defender who didn’t bite on any of it. On the second play, he gets past the DB, but gets caught looking back and never breaks into a sprint downfield as the pass sailed over his head.
As a blocker, he is definitely willing and has high effort. He fits into blocks well and takes good angles, but he seals defenders off more than he actual tries to drive them back and engage through the block. Defenders slip off his blocks too easily at times.
CONCLUSION
Overall, Pearsall is a solid receiver who has strong hands, an understanding of zones defenses, and high effort throughout his play. He lacks top-end athletic traits and long speed to be a big-play threat in the NFL, but he can be a solid slot receiver with good enough blocking and effort to make a difference. He also had a solid showing at the Senior Bowl which could help his draft stock as long as his combine performance is at least average. If everything goes right in his career, he has a similar skill set and overall profile to Adam Thielen.
Projection: Mid Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.9 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd Round)
Games Watched: vs Georgia (2023), vs Utah (2022), at Georgia (2022)
