Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Ricky Pearsall had an excellent senior season at Florida, highlighted by a remarkable one-handed catch in traffic in the Charlotte game that went viral on social media and that many considered the catch of the year in college football.

"A lot of people actually like know me for the catch," Pearsall said Thursday at UF's annual Pro Day. "That's it. So, I'm like, 'You guys got to watch the tape. There's more than just that one catch.' I've made a lot of catches. But, yeah, a lot of people bring it up."

Still, Pearsall's offseason has been perhaps even better.

The speedy 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver from Chandler, Ariz. — Pearsall started his college career at Arizona State before transferring to Florida in 2022 — has boosted his stock for the upcoming NFL Draft with solid performances at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.

Pearsall received a ringing endorsement from ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. earlier this week.

"I think he's going solid second round," Kiper told reporters on Wednesday during a media teleconference to discuss the draft. "Everything he has done at Arizona State, Florida, Senior Bowl, the combine, everything's been outstanding. He has good strength, he's got tremendous athletic ability, a vertical of 42 inches, that's unbelievable vertical.

"He tests off the charts, he's tough, he's aggressive with the ball in his hands, he loves football. There's no way, after the numbers he's shown, he gets out of the second round. It wouldn't shock me if he went very early in the second."



Pearsall's stock has risen so much that he opted not to work out at Pro Day, where 31 of the 32 NFL teams were represented. He said he went "back and forth" on the decision, but after serious conversations with his advisers, he decided to watch instead of perform.

Earlier this month, he put on a show at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, earning elite grades for speed, agility and explosiveness. He ran a 4.41 40-yard dash, and his 42-inch vertical leap ranked third among all receivers, trailing only Jalen Coker of Holy Cross and Malik Washington of Virginia. Both recorded a 42.50 vertical.

"It feels good to be able to show those kinds of things at the combine,'' Pearsall said. "But for me, I just want to show I'm a great football player. This is something I've always wanted. I've expected this. For me it's no surprise I'm here at this moment. It's something I can just expand on. It's really a good opportunity. It's just a blessing."

Pearsall said he talked with the Rams on Thursday and has visits with other teams coming up. He said he is ready to play for whichever team selects him in the draft.

After catching 33 passes for 665 yards and five scores his first season at Florida, Pearsall hauled in a career-high 65 for 965 yards and four touchdowns last season. According to Pro Football Focus, Pearsall dropped only three of 146 passes targeted at Florida.

He is one of the critical transfers Gators coach Billy Napier built the offense around in his first two seasons at Florida. Pearsall did not disappoint and learned a lot along the way.

"How to be a pro, that's the biggest thing," he said. "I feel like I'm a pro even before I became a pro, to be honest, how I handled myself off the field, on the field, throughout my work, really, and being detailed and having a game plan each and every day. I think that's something Coach Napier really harps to the guys: creating a plan for yourself each day. You have to know what you're going to do."
  EGUAKUN SEEKS SPOT
 
Gators center Kingsley Eguakun faced different circumstances than Pearsall did at Pro Day. He was injured most of his senior season and received a grade at the NFL Combine that rated him as a candidate for the bottom of an NFL roster or practice squad.

He tried to make an impression in front of more than 40 NFL personnel in attendance.

"I know this is my shot. This is my opportunity,'' Eguakun said. "I think I just showed that I can compete with the best of them in terms of athleticism, moving ability, and just being gritty and being able to get through things." Eguakun started 26 games in 2021-22, but a season ago, a lingering high-ankle sprain limited him to just four starts and 246 snaps. He watched as underclassman Jake Slaughter improved as the season progressed and took over as the starting center.

"Obviously, [the injury] didn't help me,'' he said. "I wasn't my full self, so obviously that wasn't the best for me, but you can't really dwell on things you can't control."

Eguakun has recovered and said he plans to work out in the Gainesville area with former teammate Zach Carter (now with the Bengals) before the draft.

He said NFL teams have shown interest.

"I've honestly talked to so many teams at this point that I don't really know where I'm going to end up," he said. "It's going to be a waiting game. I've been dreaming about this since I was a little kid. I have no complaints about how the day went."
  GATOR BITES

OL Lyndell Hudson II, QB Micah Leon, RB Eddie Battle and P Jacob Watkins also worked out at Pro Day … Former Gators OL Griffin McDowell joined Eguakun and Hudson during the O-line drills. McDowell returned to campus after spending his final season at UT Chattanooga, where he earned all-conference honors. McDowell, who appeared in 40 games from 2018-22 at Florida, impressed scouts on the weight bench, pressing 225 pounds 31 times. "I did have a very weird career,'' McDowell said. "I just persevered. A lot of people would have given up. I played three different positions here. I was at 315, I got down to 250, from O-line to D-line to tight end. And then to go to a different school for one year and get my weight back up to 300, I feel I accomplished a lot with that. A very unique career, but I'm blessed I had it." McDowell projects as a guard in the draft … Former Gators QB Brian Schottenheimer, now offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, attended Pro Day.