Brenden Rice, WR, USC
Size:
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 208 pounds
Arm Length: 33”
Hand Size: 9 5/8"
Accomplishments:
Second Team All Pac-12 (2023)
“Brenden Rice is a big-body pass-catcher who flashes excellent instincts, hands, and ball skills to allow him to develop into a top No. 2 receiver at the next level.”
Strengths:
Hands
Instincts and awareness
Ball Skills
Concerns:
Lateral agility/change of direction
Physicality
Film Analysis:
USC’s Brenden Rice is best known as the son of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, but that soon may change as the younger Rice is primed to be an early draft pick in this year’s class. Rice originally enrolled at the University of Colorado, where he played his first two seasons before finishing his career at USC for his last two seasons.
Rice is a legit NFL prospect with prototypical size and athleticism. He primarily aligned outside at X receiver but also was utilized in the slot at times. Rice is listed at 6-foot-3 and weighs 210 pounds with excellent length. He is quick off the line of scrimmage and flashes good burst to get into his stem. He struggles when faced with press coverage and needs to be more physical when defenders press him through his stem. He has very good vertical speed to stress corners and he has shown a knack for making plays down the field. He is excellent at tracking the ball and has outstanding hands overall.
Rice is a highly instinctive route-runner who understands how to set up defenders and exploit leverage. He lacks short-area quickness and lateral agility and won't create a ton of separation at the top of the route with sheer athleticism. Rather, he sets up defenders with head and body fakes and then breaks free with a subtle cut once the defender is in a bad position. Rice is outstanding at finding the soft spot in zone coverages and making himself open when the quarterback is scrambling and looking for a receiver down the field.
Rice is a good receiver after the catch, displaying an ability to break tackles and has enough speed to defeat angles. He isn’t agile and struggles to make defenders miss in the open field. Rice is a big-body receiver who knows how to use his body to shield defenders away on in-breaking routes but must play more physically at the catch point consistently.
Overall, Rice is an NFL-ready receiver with an all-around skill set. I have questions about his ceiling and wonder if he has enough juice to be a dynamic weapon at the next level, but I think he can step in on day one to be a solid No. 3 receiver who can develop into a top-end No. 2 option.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Written By: Brentley Weissman
Exposures: UCLA (2023), Oregon (2023), Arizona State (2023)
