Buccaneers land potential sleeper QB and more in latest 7-round NFL Mock Draft
By Brad Smith
Round 4, Pick 125: Ricky Pearsall, WR/Florida
There's no doubt that this year's draft class is loaded with premiere talent at wide receiver. Led by Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., Washington's Rome Odunze, and LSU's Malik Nabers, there are 29 total wide receivers with draftable grades, per FanSided's Josh Blair.
Upon graduating Corona Del Sol as a three-star recruit, Pearsall committed to Arizona State and served as the Sun Devils' primary slot wide receiver for the next three seasons. From 2019-2021, Pearsall caught 61 passes for 794 receiving yards and five touchdowns, highlighted by Pearsall's 2021 campaign with 48 catches for 580 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Following his solid production in 2021, Pearsall decided to enter the transfer portal to leave Arizona State and join Florida. In his first season as a Gator, Pearsall finished with a respectable 33 catches, 661 receiving yards, and five touchdowns alongside former first-round pick and current NFL quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Even with Richardson declaring for the NFL draft and Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz becoming the Gators' starting quarterback, Pearsall still managed to improve to become the Gators' No. 1 wide receiver. This past season, Pearsall caught 65 passes for a career-high 965 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while posting 90+ receiving yards in six of 12 games. In addition, Pearsall took three carries for 62 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 20.7 YPC.
As shown this season, Pearsall has elite body control and coordination to pull off incredible acrobatic catches and make plays all over the field. Coupled with quick breakaway speed and acceleration, and Pearsall thrived at stretching the seams at the intermediate and deep levels of the field.
For what Pearsall lacks in size, he makes up for it twofold in his athleticism and route-running ability. Against man coverage, Pearsall used head fakes and solid blind-spot awareness to find soft spots in the defense to make catches and extend plays. Although Pearsall's frame causes concern for his durability in the NFL, Pearsall is a well-balanced wide receiver prospect worth a look for Tampa Bay in the middle of the draft.