USC wide receiver Brenden Rice selected in 2024 NFL Draft
Rice will get to stay in LA. It took longer than many anticipated, however, USC wide receiver Brenden Rice was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with the 225th pick in the 7th round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Rice spent two years with the Trojans after transferring in from Colorado ahead of the 2022 season. That year, he collected 39 receptions for 611 yards and four touchdowns, which included a spectacular finish in the Cotton Bowl against Tulane. In a 46-45 loss to the Green Wave, Rice caught six passes for a career-high 174 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2023, Rice became one of the go-to targets for quarterback Caleb Williams as the two connected 45 times for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns. Rice started the year on a hot streak, catching seven touchdown passes over the Trojans’ first five games, including at least one in each. He finished the year with a season-high 147 receiving yards and a touchdown on eight catches against UCLA. Rice caught at least one touchdown pass in the final four games of the year.
He continues a run of USC wide receivers being selected in the NFL draft. Rice makes it five consecutive drafts in which a Trojan wide receiver has been taken. Jordan Addison (2023) and Drake London (2022) were both first-round picks. Amon-Ra St. Brown went in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. Michael Pittman Jr. was a second-round selection in 2020.
Brenden Rice NFL.com Draft Profile
“The bloodlines don’t get much better than Jerry Rice, so Brenden Rice might have a head start on the rest of the field. He’s big and plays a physical brand of football when cornerbacks want to fight over space. He lacks sudden feet, so beating press cleanly and separating on short routes could be challenging as a pro. Rice possesses good build-up speed to create deep-ball opportunities once his ball skills are added to the equation. Rice catches with quick, strong hands and good extension to help with frequent contested catches. There are some limitations at play, but he has enough checkmarks to project as an early backup with some upward mobility.” — Lance Zierlein
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