Florida's Ricky Pearsall ready to move past his famous catch and add NFL clips to his highlight reel

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Ricky Pearsall’s viral moment lasted months and even gained traction in recent weeks.

It's sure to garner more attention during the NFL draft.

The former Florida standout is one of approximately a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. He’s widely viewed as a second-round pick in what appears to be the deepest group of receivers in years, maybe even decades.

And when Pearsall’s name gets called, there’s one clip that’s sure to follow: his one-handed catch against Charlotte last September in the Swamp that brought fans to their feet and became an internet sensation minutes later.

“A lot of people actually, like, know me for the catch,” Pearsall said recently. “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, I feel like. But, yeah, a lot of people bring it up.”

Including NFL general managers, coaches and scouts.

Pearsall wowed many of them during the Senior Bowl in early February and again at the NFL combine a month later. He was so impressive during those workouts that he chose to be merely a spectator at Florida’s pro day in late March.

“I kept going back and forth, to be honest,” he said. "It was something that I had to really think about for sure. Just talking to my team and my people in my corner and my foundation, we just thought it was the best idea for myself.”

It ultimately came down to this: what else did Pearsall have to prove? He covered the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at the combine, tying him for 10th among receivers. He led the position group in the three-cone drill and ranked third with a 42-inch vertical jump. He put up 17 reps on the bench press (225 pounds), which tied him for sixth, and nearly reached 11 feet in the broad jump.

Throw in flawless routes and sure-handed catches, and there wasn’t anything more the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Arizona native could have done to improve his draft stock.

“It feels good to be able to show those kinds of things,” he said. “But, for me, I just want to show I’m a great football player.”

Pearsall finished his senior year with 65 receptions for 965 yards and four touchdowns, falling short of becoming the first Florida receiver since Taylor Jacobs in 2002 to reach the 1,000-yard milestone.

He ended up with 159 catches for 2,420 yards and 14 touchdowns in five seasons, the first three at Arizona State. He also ran for five scores and threw a TD pass.

“This guy is a very underrated player,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “He’s bigger than you think. He’s more explosive than you think. He's highly skilled. He can get open at the line. He can separate at the top of the route. And he’s got fantastic ball skills and hand selection.”

Pearsall caught passes from Anthony Richardson and Jayden Daniels. He played alongside Brandon Aiyuk and Johnny Wilson. Although he lacked wins and championships, he made plenty of college memories.

Beating then-No. 7 Utah in his first game in the Swamp tops the list. As for that spectacular catch a year later? Well, that's a close second.

He insists he’s made better ones in practice. But the leaping one-hander against Charlotte was revered because Pearsall hung onto the ball despite getting sandwiched between defenders Dontae Balfour and Isaiah Hazel.

“A lot of people make good one-handed catches, but to go through contact like that I feel like is another thing,” Pearsall said.

It's his No. 1 highlight for now — and surely will be featured on draft night — but teammates and coaches believe he's capable of more at the next level.

“He’s a freak,” Florida quarterback Graham Mertz said. “There’s no gray area. He’s going to light you up. He’s fast. He’s quick. Someone’s going to get a baller.”

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FILE - Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) is tackled by South Carolina defensive back Jalon Kilgore (24) and defensive back O'Donnell Fortune (3) during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The former Florida standout is one of nearly a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File)

FILE - Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (1) catches 21-yard game winning touchdown over South Carolina defensive back Nick Emmanwori (21) during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The former Florida standout is one of nearly a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File)

FILE - Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Indianapolis. The former Florida standout is one of nearly a dozen receivers expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft beginning Thursday night. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

A former government employee has been charged with repeatedly submitting fake tips to the FBI reporting that several of his co-workers in the intelligence community were part of a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to court filings unsealed Friday.

Miguel Eugenio Zapata, 37, was arrested in Chantilly, Virginia, on Thursday on a charge that he made false statements to law enforcement.

Zapata submitted at least seven anonymous tips to the FBI's website claiming that seven government employees and contractors were involved in the Capitol riot, according to an FBI task force officer’s affidavit.

Court records don't identify which government agency employed Zapata, but the affidavit says the Chantilly resident previously worked with all seven people named in his false tips to the FBI. One of them had hired Zapata and served as his program manager.

"None of the seven government employees and contractors were in Washington, D.C., on January 6 or attacked the Capitol," the affidavit says.

The tips included similar language and were submitted from four IP addresses. The affidavit says Zapata used a company's “web anonymizer” service to submit the tips.

The unidentified company's logs showed that Zapata's user account accessed the FBI’s tips site, conducted research on two of his targets, searched Google for the term “fbi mole,” and accessed the website of an Office of Inspector General for an intelligence agency, the affidavit says.

The document doesn't identify a possible motive for making the false reports.

Zapata's first tip, submitted on Feb. 10, 2021, says a former co-worker was trying to overthrow the U.S. government, espouses conspiracy theories and retaliates against colleagues who don't share their political views, according to the affidavit.

Another tip that month accused an intelligence agency contractor of sharing classified information with far-right extremist groups, including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, “to foment terror and incite violence.” Zapata worked with that person from 2017 to 2019, the affidavit says.

The FBI confirmed that all seven people named in the tips were working in Virginia when a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, disrupting the congressional certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.

An email seeking comment was sent to an attorney for Zapata.

After the Jan. 6 insurrection, the FBI received tens of thousands of tips from friends, relatives and co-workers of suspected rioters. More than 1,300 people have been charged with participating in the attack.

FILE - Violent insurrectionists breach the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. A former government employee has been charged with repeatedly submitting fake tips to the FBI reporting that several of his co-workers in the intelligence community were part of a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Court records unsealed on Friday, May 3, 2024, say that Miguel Eugenio Zapata was arrested in Chantilly, Virginia, on Thursday on a charge that he made false statements to law enforcement. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)