Chris Doering pegs Ricky Pearsall as best fit out first round draft picks

Former Florida Gators wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was the best fit among first round draft picks, according to SEC Network’s Chris Doering.

Doering, a former Gator wide receiver himself, loves Pearsall as a pass catching option for the San Francisco 49ers. The NFC Champions currently have Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, but the addition of Pearsall is a big one.

In a loaded draft class for pass catchers, Pearsall might’ve landed in the best possible situation.

“We were asked to select our best fit and as I was going through the draft, I was thinking about a couple of guys,” Doering said on SEC Radio on Sirius XM. “And then when Ricky Pearsall goes off the board to San Francisco, I knew I had the best fit because the great part about it is not only do I know Ricky well, I also know Kyle Shanahan very well and I know the style of offense that he runs and I know the type of receivers that he wants to play in that offense. 

“And I know what he does with the versatility of those guys. So that to me was the best first round fit of any of the SEC guys that came off the board.” 

Pearsall spent the last two years at Florida following three at Arizona State. Last season, he set career highs with 65 catches, 965 yards, four touchdowns and 14.8 yards per catch. He also had two rushing touchdowns off three carries for 62 yards.

“When you look at Ricky Pearsall, I felt Kyle (said) he does everything,” Doering said. “And not only does he do everything, but he’s willing to do everything, he’s willing to do the dirty things, he’s willing to fight for the extra yards after the catch. He’s willing to be a blocker in the run game. 

“Are you willing to help other people out with what he does in terms of running decoy routes and getting other people open? So like, I just love a guy that’s selfless like that.”

Over the course of his career, Pearsall had 159 catches for 2,420 yards, 14 touchdowns, 15.2 yards per catch, 21 carries, 253 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

As a member of the Class of 2019, Pearsall was a three-star recruit out of Tempe (Ari.) Corona Del Sol, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 21 overall prospect in the state, the No. 171 wide receiver in the class and the No. 1,231 overall prospect in the class.