The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely going to select a receiver within the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, and one name that they could look to target is Florida’s Ricky Pearsall. Pearsall started his career at Arizona State before transferring to Florida, and he had a breakout 2023 season, catching 65 passes for 965 yards and four touchdowns. Pearsall has been climbing up boards during the pre-draft process, and Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda said that Pearsall is the fastest-rising receiver in the draft right now.
“The receiver rising faster than any other is Ricky Pearsall of Florida,” Pauline wrote. “Several teams have placed an early second-round grade on Pearsall, another surehanded receiver who had a tremendous combine workout with times of 4.41 seconds in the 40 and 6.64 in the three-cone and a vertical jump of 42 inches.”
Pearsall is extremely athletic and at 6010 and 189 pounds is a very willing blocker, something that the Steelers covet. Alex Kozora had Pearsall going to the Steelers in his latest mock draft and the team hosted him for a pre-draft visit, but it sounds like there’s a very real chance that Pearsall doesn’t last to No. 51 overall. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said he expects six to seven receivers to be taken in each of the first three rounds, and it is a deep receiver class, so even if Pearsall isn’t there at No. 51, the Steelers will have options.
Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley is a name that’s been linked to the Steelers due to the fact that he’s already come in for a pre-draft visit and wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni was at his Pro Day. Corley is a solid option as an underneath receiver and as a replacement for Diontae Johnson on the outside, it’s a fit that makes sense. Other options for Pittsburgh in the second could include Troy Franklin out of Oregon or Michigan’s Roman Wilson, someone the team met with ahead of his Pro Day.
There’s going to be no shortage of talented receivers for the Steelers to consider on Day 2 if that’s the route they choose to take and given their lack of options outside of George Pickens right now, it seems likely that they will. Wilson, Corley and Pearsall feel like the three most likely picks to me right now, but availability is going to matter, and at least in the case of Pearsall, he could be gone before the Steelers have a chance to take him.
