The Florida Gators only had one player drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. In a sign of the times for the Gators program, only one of 257 players drafted came out of Gainesville. Ricky Pearsall was drafted in the 1st Round, 31st overall, to the San Francisco 49ers. That selection continued a long-standing streak of Gators being drafted, which dates back to 1952. After that, in Rounds 2-7, no Gators were selected. Whether the dearth of Gator draft picks is more an indictment of current coach Billy Napier’s coaching and staff, or prior coach Dan Mullen’s recruiting, is debatable.
Pearsall’s Fit with the 49ers
The 49ers will have a very interesting Wide Receiver (WR) room entering 2024. Pearsall potentially joins the likes of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings. Both Aiyuk and Jennings are entering the final year of their rookie deals. However, trade rumors have been swirling about Aiyuk and Samuel. While Aiyuk’s agent has denied that he has demanded a trade from the Bay Area, that doesn’t mean that the topic has not been talked about and typically where there is smoke there is the potential for fire with these things.
The 2nd team All-Pro in 2023 had 75 receptions to go along with 1,342 yards and 7 TD’s. Similarly, Samuel (60 receptions for 892 yards and 7 TD’s in 2023) has reportedly not asked to be traded but his name has been thrown around as a potential trade chip following the selection of Pearsall in the draft. However, to cool the rumors, according to Adam Schefter, the Niners have no plans on trading Samuel or Aiyuk. Of note, Pearsall and Aiyuk do know each other as they played together in 2019 at Arizona State.
It is easy to see how Pearsall can help bring some clarity to the currently murky WR situation. The 6-1, 200lb wideout will obviously see time as a WR in 3-WR sets. He can also provide insurance in case a trade does happen for one of the current receivers. Kyle Shanahan is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL and will find a way for Pearsall to contribute. The rookie can also contribute through the return game. In 2023, he returned 11 punts with an average of 11.5 yards per return for the Gators. His only kickoff return was in 2019 with Arizona State.
Implications for the Florida Gators Program
While nobody expected the Gators to have the most players drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, having one selection is not a good showing. The school with the most draftees, the University of Michigan, had 13 players hear their name called in the draft. Other schools, for reference, include Florida State (10 draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft), Alabama (10), Georgia (8), and Auburn (5).
Only 2 Gators were invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. In addition to Pearsall, center Kingsley Eguakun also earned an invite. Pearsall earned the invitation after delevering 65 catches for 965 yards and 4 TD’s in 2023. He also provided a highlight reel catch against Charlotte in 2023 with a “see it to believe it” one-handed grab. He also had 3 rushes for 62 yards and 2 TD’s on the season.
Eguakun, a 6-4, 303lb offensive lineman, earned the invite more off of his production in prior seasons vs. 2023. He finished his career with 30 starts at center and was intended to provide stability in 2023 as the only returning starter. However, he appeared in only 4 games and was essentially shut down after the Arkansas game. He was not going to be drafted up where Pearsall was, but had the potential to sneak into the later rounds. This did not happen, and he signed as an Undrafted Free Agent with the Detroit Lions.
It is easy to point the finger at Head Coach Billy Napier regarding the lack of draft picks. Six Gators were drafted in 2023 and 3 were drafted in 2022 which was Napier’s first season at the helm.
It takes time for a new coaching staff and system to take hold. So, the lack of draft picks in 2024 may be more of an implication of former coach Dan Mullen and his staff’s inability to recruit NFL-caliber players and/or develop them. Backing this up, Ricky Pearsall was a transfer to UF that came in after Napier took the helm. Napier’s 2024 recruiting class is highlighted by DJ Lagway, a 5-star QB that should start as the backup behind returning starter Graham Mertz.
Mertz earned the ability to begin as the starter after suffering through the 2023 season and showing a ton of grit throughout while putting up solid stats. Mertz was another transfer in (from Wisconsin) during Napier’s tenure. Of course, Mullen will always be able to hang his hat on the recruitment of Anthony Richardson, who went #4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Indianapolis Colts.
Overall, while it would be easy to blame the current staff for the lack of draftees that the Gators produced in 2024, that would be short-sighted. The jury is still out on Napier (who was expected to be a much better recruiter than Mullen), and the full picture will not be realized until the end of this year or next.
Written by: Jason Krom
Stats by espn.com and sports-reference.com
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