Patriots draft profile: Ricky Pearsall brings outstanding athleticism, toughness to a wide receiver room
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By: Brian Hines
Pearsall projects as a Day 2 selection in this year’s draft.
The New England Patriots continue their hunt of adding potential playmakers to their offense. Luckily for them, the 2024 NFL Draft features a deep wide receiver class filled with weapons capable of making an impact from very early in their respective pro careers.
Among the group is Florida’s Ricky Pearsall who is coming off a career-year in the Gators offense. Pearsall is a gifted athlete with incredible hands that would bring a high-level of toughness and competitiveness to any wide receiver room.
So, let’s therefore take a closer look at Pearsall to find out what else he would bring to the table.
Hard facts
Name: Ricky Pearsall
Position: Wide receiver
School: University of Florida (via transfer of Arizona State)
Opening day age: 23 (9/9/2000)
Measurements: 6’1”, 189 pounds, 9.25” hand size, 30.88” arm length, 73.38” wingspan, 9.90 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
Career statistics: 40 games (33 starts) | 2,109 offensive snaps, 200 special teams snaps | 159 receptions, 2,420 receiving yards, 14 receiving TDs | 21 rushing attempts, 253 rushing yards, five rushing TDs | 15 punt returns, 153 yards
Accolades: Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention (2021)
A three star recruit out of Arizona — where he set the High School 6A single-game receiving yard record with 342 on 14 receptions — Pearsall committed to Arizona State where he began his career with QB Jayden Daniels.
He caught just 13 passes over his first two seasons (his sophomore year being shortened due to the Covid-19 pandemic) before earning a starting role his junior season. Pearsall finished with 48 receptions for 580 yards and a team-high four receiving touchdowns, but transferred to the University of Florida following the season.
Pearsall’s first year in Gainesville got off to a slow start as he suffered a foot injury in training camp. He did not miss a game but caught just seven passes the first three weeks of the season before recording his second career 100-yard game against Tennessee. He finished the season hauling in 33 passes for 661 yards en route to a career-high 20.0 yards per catch and five touchdowns.
Returning for his fifth season, Pearsall broke out as the team’s clear-cut No. 1 receiver. An eight catch, 92-yard Week 1 performance set the stage for a career-year in which Pearsall posted bests in catches (65) and receiving yards (965).
After his excellent 2023 campaign, Pearsall declared for the NFL Draft and had an impressive showing throughout two days of practice at the Senior Bowl.
Draft profile
Expected round: 2-3 | Consensus big board: No. 52 | Patriots meeting: Senior Bowl (informal)
Strengths: As seen by his 9.90 Relative Athletic Score, Pearsall is an incredibly gifted athlete. Beyond his 4.41-second 40-yard dash, Pearsall’s Combine performance resulted in a 97th percentile vertical, 96th percentile three cone, and 90th percentile short shuttle.
The athletic profile translates to the game field as he’s a crafty route runner due to his quickness. At 6-foot-1 Pearsall can align out wide, but operates best as an inside receiver where he can feast underneath and over the middle of the field where he consistently finds open space to sit in zone coverage. In total last season, 40-of-his-65 receptions (62%) went for first downs.
Beyond his athletic ability, Pearsall’s hands are one of his biggest strengths. He had just six drops throughout his entire collegiate career and has a tremendous catch radius.
obligatory Ricky Pearsall is a dawg tweet pic.twitter.com/sQw4XxlyTk
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) January 24, 2024
His outstanding hands (or hand) were highlighted with perhaps the catch of the year against Charlotte.
This catch from Ricky Pearsall was SICK pic.twitter.com/ovTy0zLniz
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 23, 2023
In addition to his work through the air, Pearsall is a willing blocker who would bring a level of toughness to New England’s offense, something they’ve made clear they are looking for more of this offseason.
Included in here: Pearsall (top) on his willingness to block – an important added trait for a team that will run the ball and is looking to add toughness. https://t.co/NRrJXXuoaF pic.twitter.com/E6UutfSacv
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) March 5, 2024
Weaknesses: There isn’t much to dislike about Pearsall’s game, but his 6’1”, 189 pound frame could restrict him to an inside receiver at the next level and also comes with limitations on the field (contested catch ability). He also could cut down on some unnecessary movement in his routes at times.
It also is fair to point to the majority of his collegiate production coming in his fifth-year, but the skillset leaves a lot to be excited about.
Patriots preview
What would be his role? Coming into the league with over 2,000 collegiate snaps under his belt, Pearsall should be a day one contributor for a NFL offense. He played nearly 60 percent of his snaps in college in the slot compared to 40 percent out wide, making Pearsall a versatile addition to any room if he can continue to hold up along the perimeter.
What is his growth potential? Pearsall took a big jump in his statical production in his fifth-year, so how much room he has left to grow is a fair ask. But, Pearsall’s skillset should lead to him becoming a consistent part of an NFL passing attack — especially if he can gain chemistry with a quarterback after playing with three different QBs in the last three years.
Does he have positional versatility? Pearsall projects mostly as an inside receiver at the next level, but he did prove he can occasionally win along the outside where he played 353 snaps last year for the Gators. Additionally, Pearsall’s elusiveness to make defenders miss makes him a runner/schemed-touch threat while he has experience as a returner — averaging 10.2 yards on 15 punt returns the past two seasons.
He also went a perfect 3-for-3 in his college career as a passer with 111 yards and a touchdown.
Why the Patriots? The Patriots continue their hunt for wide receiver upgrades and Pearsall offers an intriguing skillset that should come off the board on Day Two. He would add an athletic profile to the room that their depth chart currently lacks while providing another receiver with inside-outside versatility.
Why not the Patriots? With DeMario Douglas, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, and K.J. Osborn on the roster, New England has plenty of inside options at the receiver position. If they don’t want a rotation along the boundary, they may opt for more of a pure X receiver.
One-sentence verdict: A fantastic athlete who consistently gets open and catches the ball, Pearsall would be a strong add to a Patriots team that needs an upgrade at wide receiver.
What do you think about Ricky Pearsall as a potential Patriots target? Is he worth the investment on Day 2? Or should the team target other wideouts in this part of the draft? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
Originally posted on Pats Pulpit
