The Los Angeles Chargers selected USC wide receiver Brenden Rice with the No. 225 pick in Saturday’s seventh round of the NFL Draft.
The son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, the NFL’s all-time receiving and touchdowns leader, Brenden Rice began his college career at Colorado before emerging over the past two seasons at USC. He was a second-team All-Pac 12 receiver in 2023, catching 45 passes for 791 yards and a team-best 12 touchdowns while playing with quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick of the Chicago Bears.
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‘The Beast’ breakdown
Rice ranked No. 103 in Dane Brugler’s Top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“Understandably, it’s hard living up to the expectations of being Jerry Rice’s son (especially for a young receiver), but he became more and more comfortable in his own skin over the years — and his Hall-of-Fame bloodlines are an obvious plus. He was a frequent visitor to the end zone in 2023 (caught a touchdown every 3.75 catches), and his budding route athleticism made him a weapon on tape (80.0 percent of his catches resulted in a first down or touchdown).
“Though he is efficient in/out of breaks, his separation skills are average at best, and he struggled to consistently win crowded catch points. Overall, Rice must continue working on the finer points to beat press coverage and get open versus NFL corners, but he has the size/speed athleticism and hand-eye coordination to become a better pro than he was a college player. He projects as a backup X/Z receiver with down-the-road starting potential.”
Why he’s a seventh-round pick
His name certainly helps his profile, but Rice emerged as a legitimate NFL prospect following his transfer from Colorado. He caught 84 passes for 1,402 yards and 16 touchdowns over his two seasons with the Trojans, while trimming his number of drops from five in 2022 to two in 2023.
He particularly became a reliable weapon on off-schedule plays for Williams, showcasing his ability to get in sync with a quarterback.
DOUBLIN’ DOWN ✌️ @BrendenRice with another TD! @uscfb pic.twitter.com/7GAywgi2dk
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 24, 2023
Come back soon for more analysis of the Brendan Rice selection.
(Photo: Ric Tapia / Getty Images)
