The San Francisco 49ers selected former Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Thursday.
After starting his collegiate career at Arizona State, Pearsall transferred to Florida for his junior and senior year. He played just four games for the Sun Devils during the Covid season of 2020, but put together impressive sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
Pearsall totaled 159 receptions for 2,420 yards and 21 touchdowns over five seasons in college. He has shown the ability to be a dependable threat down the field, averaging 15.2 yards per reception.
However, Pearsall started gaining more attention from NFL scouts after a sensational campaign for the Gators in 2023. As a senior, he registered 65 receptions for 965 yards and six total touchdowns in 12 games. Pearsall was just 35 yards away from becoming the first wide receiver at UF to have a 1,000 yard receiving season since 2002.
Pearsall showed out at the NFL Combine and Senior Bowl which helped his draft stock exponentially. At the combine, he posted a 4.41 40-yard dash time and a 42 vertical jump, proving to be one of the more athletic receivers in this year’s class.
The future rookie could become a dependable slot target for 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Pearsall will join an already lethal San Francisco receiving core that includes Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle with one of the most creative offensive minds in the game calling the plays in head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Contact Max at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time. Max will be covering the Gators Golf teams this Fall for The Alligator.
