Brenden Rice | USC 6’2” 208 lbs. 03/18/2002 (Age 22)
Brenden Rice was drafted 225th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers, becoming the 31st wide receiver and 225th overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft.
COLLEGE PRODUCTION
| Year | Games Played | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Catch | TDs |
| 2020 (FR) | 6 | 6 | 120 | 20.0 | 2 |
| 2021 (FR) | 11 | 21 | 299 | 14.2 | 3 |
| 2022 (JR) | 14 | 39 | 611 | 15.7 | 4 |
| 2023 (SR) | 12 | 45 | 791 | 17.6 | 12 |
After two quiet seasons playing for Colorado University in 2020 and 2021, Rice decided to transfer to USC ahead of his Junior season. Playing behind Jordan Addison and alongside Tahj Washington and Mario Williams, Rice made an immediate impact in a loaded receiving room. He finished fourth on the team in receptions (39), receiving yards (611), and receiving touchdowns. Addison went on to get drafted in the first round and (Mario) Williams took a step back, as Rice turned into Caleb Williams’ WR2 behind Washington. He finished the 2023 season as a Second-team All-Pac-12 player, as he hauled in 45 receptions for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 12 receiving touchdowns land him tied for seventh all-time in Trojan history in a single season.
FILM
STRENGTHS
Ideal size, frame, and hands for a typical pro outside receiver. Showcases excellent physicality and works aggressively to get open in scramble drills. Terrific 50/50 ball skills. Straight-line speed isn’t superb but often got by his defender(s) with go-routes during his USC tenure. Does a great job setting up defenders when breaking off short routes toward the middle of the field. Able to make defenders miss in one-on-one situations, as he’s a high-end YAC player, showing great elusiveness in the open field. Has big-game DNA, as he often made big plays at the right time, especially late in games.
WEAKNESSES
Isn’t the most athletic receiver. At times, has trouble maintaining separation underneath running his short routes. Needs to improve his route running package. Often ran choppy routes, as he lacked drive and acceleration in some of his more advanced routes. Below average foot quickness, which will hurt him against press coverage at the pro level. Although he plays physically, he can often get pushed around due to his lack of strength. He also didn’t haul in a ton of contested catches because of this.
ATHLETIC TESTING
At the NFL combine, Rice measured in at 6’2” and 208 lbs, which equates to a BMI of 26.7. He ran a 4.5 40-yard dash (67th percentile), equating to a 102.8-speed score (78th percentile). Rice also displayed a 121.6 burst score (51st percentile) and a college dominator score of 30 percent (54th percentile).
Rice isn’t the most athletic receiver in this draft. None of his NFL Combine numbers were impressive. His 4.50-second 40-yard dash was the 24th fastest among 30 wide receiver participants. Rice also finished 25th in the 10-yard split (1.55 seconds), 21st in the vertical jump (36.5”), and 28th in the broad jump (119”). He mustered only 13 reps on the bench press (ninth out of 12 wide receivers) as well. His biggest red flag is his overall athleticism, but he makes up for it with true talent, hard work ethic, hands, ideal size and frame, as well as good genetics (son of Jerry Rice).
DRAFT ANALYSIS
Rapid Reaction to Draft Capital: Great
Rapid Reaction to Landing Spot: Good
Rice was selected with the 225th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers ended up drafting three wide receivers in this draft, as Rice joins fellow draftees Ladd McConkey and Cornelius Johnson. The three of them will battle with Quentin Johnston, Joshua Palmer, and Derius Davis for targets in 2024. With Jim Harbaugh coming in, not a single one of these pass-catchers has a starting role set in stone at this point.
FANTASY INSIGHTS
I had a seventh-round grade on Rice, and I had him ranked 25th on my wide receiver rankings list coming into this draft. Although he was drafted in the seventh-round, his landing spot isn’t all that bad. Nobody knows who is going to emerge out of this wide receiver room. Rice has the opportunity to turn heads in training camp and possibly carve out an imminent role for this team.
In your rookie drafts, Rice isn’t worth drafting. If your league has five rounds, possibly think about drafting him as a candidate to land on your taxi squad. But there’s no need to push the envelope and use a fourth-round (or higher) pick on Rice. He’s a raw talent that needs a lot of coaching before he could even be thought of as a fantasy asset.
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