Monty

Rice

Rice (6’0/238) made his presence felt immediately at Georgia, playing in 47 games and recording 219 tackles, 10.5 TFL and five PBU while being named a team captain last year. He lacks length but remains an explosive athlete with chase-down speed, as he showed during his pro day with an 83rd-percentile RAS broad jump (10’01) and 91st-percentile 40 (4.58). He also missed only three tackles in 2020, finishing his college career with a sub-10% missed tackle rate, extremely impressive for anyone, particularly an SEC off-ball linebacker. He offers special teams value in addition to a starting-caliber linebacker ceiling, comping closely to Elandon Roberts.

Rice (6’0/238) is a former four-star recruit from Huntsville, AL who dreamed of playing for the Crimson Tide but was never offered by HC Nick Saban. He made his presence felt immediately, playing in 47 games and recording 219 tackles, 10.5 TFL and five PBU while being named a team captain last year. Rice lacks length, but he’s an explosive athlete with chase-down speed, as he showed during his pro day with an 83rd-percentile RAS broad jump (10’01) and 91st-percentile 40 (4.58). He is physical at the contact point and reliably drops his man. He incredibly missed only three tackles in 2020, finishing his college career with a sub-10% missed tackle rate, extremely impressive for anyone, particularly an SEC off-ball linebacker. His biggest knock is that he doesn’t change directions seamlessly, as his 7.34 3-cone drill (34th percentile) will attest. Rice is at his best when he’s crashing downhill to close on ball-carriers and is only average in coverage. He offers special teams value in addition to a starting-caliber linebacker ceiling. He comps out closely to Elandon Roberts. With the Titans already having a solid group of starting linebackers, Rice’s special teams utility will come in handy during his rookie season. He’ll likely play a backup role on defense in his first year while being a significant contributor on special teams.

Due to a foot injury, Rice (6'1/235) decided to sit out the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl matchup with Cincinnati. He also didn’t take part in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, and the time taken to recover from the foot injury appeared to pay dividends at Wednesday’s Pro Day. In addition to clocking in with sub-4.6 times on both of his 40-yard dash runs, Rice reportedly performed well in position drills. He’s considered one of the top linebackers in the draft, and Wednesday’s performance will only help Rice’s standing.

It’s not clear exactly why Rice is sitting out. Rice did play through a bit of a foot issue in 2020 that required treatment, but he does not have on a boot or anything of that nature, so it’s not clear whether or not that is what is keeping him out. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker also opted out of the Peach Bowl a few weeks ago, so it’s possible Rice primarily went down to Mobile for interviews and such. Stay tuned for updates on Rice’s ability to practice this week.

Rice (6'1/235) was a consistent presence in the middle of the Georgia defense, registering 49 tackles, 30 solo, 1.0 sack, two forced fumbles and one PBU. The junior has opted out of the Peach Bowl and will instead focus on preparing for the NFL Draft. A team captain and Butkus Award finalist, Rice played through a foot ailment that required regular treatment. The three-year starter has been assigned a second-day grade by most scouts and is considered a top-five linebacker prospect.

Rice (6'1/235) is next in line to be one of many Georgia linebackers to take over the conference. In two seasons, Rice recorded 81 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one sack. Now, with Rice stepping into a full time role, Smart emphasized the importance for him to play well this season, stating the Bulldogs “don’t have a ton of speed at that position.” Rice will get the chance to solidify his status this week versus a talented Vanderbilt offense.

Rice (6'1/235) only missed 3% of his tackle attempts, narrowly beating out Alabama’s Dylan Moses and South Carolina’s D.J. Brunson. Heading into his third year, Rice should see an increase in playing time and his total production should follow suit. Obviously a sure-tackler, Rice has an NFL future, but whether that comes in the 2020 or 2021 NFL Draft is up in the air.

Rice was seen on crutches and wearing a boot on the sideline while not playing in Saturday’s contest against UMass, so this isn’t a big surprise. He also had an MCL injury earlier in the season, but he still leads the Bulldogs in tackles. His status for the SEC championship game against Alabama on December 1 is still up in the air.

Rice, Georgia’s leading tackler, was seen on the sideline with a boot on his left foot. While his absence is certainly noticeable, the general expectation is that the Bulldogs will be able to take care of UMass. The bigger concern regarding the sophomore linebacker is his status for Georgia’s next two games, Nov. 24 against Georgia Tech and Dec. 1 against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, which has yet to be determined.

Rice was listed on the depth chart as Natrez Patrick’s backup at MIKE linebacker for Saturday’s game. According to Seth Emerson of The Athletic, the sophomore did suit up and wanted to play, but ultimately he was not called upon. In Georgia’s first three games Rice tallied 17 total tackles, with eight coming in the Sept. 8 win at South Carolina.