Brenden

Rice

Thanks to one of the more confusingly-worded tweets we’ve ever seen, we initially thought Rice was cut. It is still an inexcusable error. Please accept our apologies. Despite being a seventh-round draft pick who posted 791 yards on 45 catches in college in 2023, Rice has earned his way onto the Chargers’ 53-man roster. While it’s easy to point to his father being Jerry Rice as a reason for that, Rice has looked like an NFL wide receiver during the preseason; however, he’s likely not higher than fourth on the depth chart right now and will need to work his way into earning enough targets to be fantasy relevant.

The son of NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, Brenden Rice (6’2/208) brings elite bloodlines to whatever team drafts him. After spending two years at Colorado, Rice transferred to USC ahead of the 2022 season and immediately set career highs in receptions (39), yards (611), and touchdowns (4). He would expand on that production in 2023 (45-791-12) but has been relatively average as far as efficiency is concerned. Rice brought a 60 percent contested catch rate into his final season but caught only three of his 12 contested targets in 2023. He’s a physical receiver who possesses good size, but Rice doesn’t profile as anything more than an adequate backup at this time.

Rice (6'3/205) is the son of the NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, and was a four-star wide receiver prospect from the 2020 recruiting class. As a freshman at Colorado, Rice caught six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Last season, he enjoyed slightly more success, posting career-highs across the board. He caught 21 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns on 32 targets while appearing on 373 offensive snaps. Last season, Rice topped the century mark twice, going for over 100-yards receiving against Arizona and Oregon. Now heading to USC, it will be interesting to see if Lincoln Riley can unlock Rice and help take his game to the next level.

Rice’s (6'3/208) numbers aren’t much to talk about, but that could be blamed by the inefficient offense he’s played for the last two years. This young man is part of wide receiver royalty and in the right system, he can shine. The WR/KR has shown the athleticism his father possessed, including an impressive punt return in the snow against Utah and a leaping grab over the defender’s head against Oregon in 2021. He should be hearing the phone ring anytime now.

Rice (6'3/208) won’t be playing in Friday’s matchup against Utah, as head coach Karl Dorrell announced on Monday. Despite his young age, Rice has quickly emerged as a playmaker for the Buffaloes. So far this season, Rice has reeled in 21 receptions for 299 yards with three touchdowns.

For the Colorado offense, it was the tale of two freshmen in Rice (6'3/208) and QB Brendon Lewis. On the last scoring drive of the game for the Buffaloes, Lewis found Rice three times for 55 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown pass where Rice came back with aggression to catch the ball in traffic and take it in for the score. The Buffaloes travel back to Boulder to take on Oregon State next Saturday.

Rice (6'3/205) had a career-day against Arizona, thanks to a 62-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brendon Lewis late in the third quarter. Rice’s 111-yard performance marked the first time he has gone for over 100 yards on the season, as he now has 11 receptions for 172 yards and one touchdown on the season. He and the Buffaloes will now travel to Cal as they look to win their third game on the season.

Rice (6'3/208) is a big-bodied wide receiver that was being heavily recruited by Michigan, Oregon and Arizona State. ASU in particular was in hot pursuit of Rice, who grew up in nearby Chandler AZ and had reportedly formed relationships with players on the team. Rice attended Colorado’s upset win over Nebraska and cited that performance and the atmosphere in Boulder as a big reason for him signing with the Buffaloes. It should be noted that Rice is the son of legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice, so his pedigree is palpable.

Rice (6'3/208) is also keen on Oregon -- he raved about his experience visiting for the spring game in Eugene -- and UCLA. Arizona and Arizona State are additionally on the radar for the Chandler, Arizona, native. Ditto Cal and Stanford, whom he visited while taking part in a Bay Area regional for The Opening earlier this spring. On the 247Sports composite board, Rice slots in as the No. 397 overall prospect in the 2020 class.

Rice (6'3/208) was one of many highly regarded prospects on campus for Oregon’s spring game, and Mario Cristobal’s program made a positive impression on the wide receiver. “The visit was everything I expected and more,” Rice told 247Sports’ Blair Angulo. “The intensity in the coaching staff really gives me the sense of what it would be like if I were to commit to Oregon.” Per the report Rice plans to visit Nebraska and Washington State before he cuts his list. Ranked among the top prospects in Arizona, the 6-foot-3 wideout plans to cut his list of schools to seven before scheduling official visits.