The Florida Gators had one of their own sneak into the first round of the 2024 NFL draft on Thursday night. Wide receiver [autotag]Ricky Pearsall[/autotag] rose rapidly through the ranks to be selected with the penultimate pick of Day 1.
The San Francisco 49ers spent the No. 31 draft choice on the prolific pass-catcher in defiance of most expectations. Many of the mocks heading into the opening day had Pearsall firmly in the second round, and most had him toward the tail end of that round.
However, that was not the outcome, and for CBS Sports writer Jordan Dajani, it was one of his five most surprising events Thursday night.
“The Florida Gator was a draft crush of many, but who saw him going in the first round?” Dajani began.
“He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers at No. 31 overall, after catching 65 passes for 965 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. Maybe he didn’t go off for 1,500+-plus yards in 2023 like Malik Nabers, but there’s no doubt he’s talented.”
He followed with the question everyone has been asking about San Francisco’s receiver room in light of the pick.
“What did ‘trade-block resident’ Brandon Aiyuk think of the pick? Apparently, his words were, ‘Fire pick, no lie.’ Every weapon will have fun in San Francisco, but not many saw Pearsall sneaking into the top 32.”
This catch from Ricky Pearsall was SICK pic.twitter.com/ovTy0zLniz
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 23, 2023
The second round kicks off on Friday at 7 p.m. ET and the draft concludes on Saturday starting at noon ET. NFL Network, ESPN, ABC and ESPN Deportes will carry the event; coverage is also available via live stream on NFL+.
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