Ricky Pearsall NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for San Francisco 49ers WR

HEIGHT: 6'1"

WEIGHT: 189

HAND: 9¼"

ARM: 30⅞"

WINGSPAN: 73⅜"

40-YARD DASH: 4.41

3-CONE: 6.4

SHUTTLE: 4.05

VERTICAL: 42"

BROAD: 10'9"

POSITIVES

— Great long speed. Really gets going once he is striding out.

— Very good length. Comes in handy when fighting off DBs or extending for the ball in the air.

— Great ball skills. Comfortably adjusts to the ball. Shows flashes of rare ability to make acrobatic catches.

— Detailed route-runner, particularly on deeper routes. Understands how to use head fakes and body positioning to set DBs up.

— Often used as a jet-sweep player to great effectiveness.

NEGATIVES

— More of a build-up speed runner than someone with instant burst.

— Below-average ability to throttle down and explode back to the ball.

— Inconsistent flexibility and explosiveness. Clunky getting in and out of his breaks more often than not.

— Below-average play strength.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 65 REC, 965 YDS (14.8 AVG), 4 TD

NOTES

— Born Sept. 9, 2000

— 3-star recruit in Arizona State's 2019 class, per 247Sports

— Transferred from Arizona State to Florida in 2022

— 33 career starts (22 at Florida, 11 at Arizona State)

OVERALL

Ricky Pearsall is a vertical slot receiver with the speed and ball skills to be a weapon.

Pearsall is on the skinnier side at 6'0⅞" and 193 pounds, which is why Florida often deployed him from the slot and put him in motion. The Gators did their best to keep hands off Pearsall at the line of scrimmage.

Doing so helped unlock Pearsall's speed. He does not have the instant top gear that elite speed threats do, but he keeps a great pace once he gets to stride out. That should be enough to make Pearsall dangerous on seams, posts and deep crossing routes in the NFL.

Pearsall's best routes all attack down the field. He does not have the speed control or flexibility to thrive on curls, digs, comebacks and other sharp routes, but he can manipulate DBs in space and attack with an explosive crossover step. That shows up best when Pearsall can run posts and deep over routes, allowing him to attack the DB vertically and to one shoulder before snapping back across their face.

Pearsall shows impressive ball skills as well. His one-handed catch in traffic against Charlotte in 2023 stands out, but he made a number of other acrobatic catches over the years. Even besides the extraordinary catches, Pearsall is reliable.

At the same time, Pearsall does lack the size and strength to be a dominant ball-winner in contested-catch scenarios. Bigger, stronger cornerbacks can corral Pearsall at the catch point before he even gets a real chance to go up for the ball.

Pearsall's long speed and hands give him the tools to blossom into a useful NFL receiver. However, his slight frame and uninspiring change-of-direction skills could give him a steep learning curve early on. Pearsall should be used similar to how the Jacksonville Jaguars deploy Christian Kirk.

GRADE: 7.2 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 66

POSITION RANK: WR12

PRO COMPARISON: Kenny Stills

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

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