2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: USC WR Brenden Rice

From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on USC WR Brenden Rice.

#2 BRENDEN RICE, WR, USC – (SENIOR) 6020, 208 POUNDS

SENIOR BOWL INVITE

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Has great size, height, and bulk for the position
— Good athlete with the long speed to challenge defenses vertically
— Possesses good burst off the line as well as acceleration to create in the open field
— Tough runner after the catch that uses his size to fight for additional yardage
— Strong hands at the catch point to make combative catches against defensive backs
— Works back to the football and aggressively plucks it out of the air
— Violently attacks his breaks as a route runner, creating separation with sharp angles
— Does a good job boxing out defenders on comeback routes as well as in the end zone
— Great red zone target with the size and production to back it up
— Elevates above the rim for 50/50 balls
— Comes down with catches along with sideline with good body control
— Willing and capable blocker who will get his fits on defenders in the run game

THE BAD

— Lacks that second gear as a runner after the catch
— Isn’t exceptionally shifty or quick when it comes to shaking defenders on routes
— Routes can be erratic and need more polish at times
— Can do a better job tracking the ball as a deep threat
— Needs to better position himself for jump ball situations
— Minimal exposure to the slot

BIO

— Senior prospect from Chandler, AZ
— Born March 18, 2002 (age 22)
— Son of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice
— Half-brother Jerry Rice Jr. was a wide receiver at UCLA (2011-12) and UNLV (2013)
— Played football as well as basketball and ran in track in high school
— Ran 10.78 in the 100 meters and 21.84 in the 200 meters for third-place finishes at the 2019 state track meet
— Four-star prospect according to Rivals
— Has done community service with the Feed My Starving Children nonprofit
— Has a tattoo saying “Success isn’t inherited, it’s earned” on his forearm
— Committed to Colorado in 2019 and played in six games as a freshman, catching six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns; also returned three kickoffs for 118 yards and a score
— Played and started 11 games in 2021 and caught 21 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, along with returning 17 kickoffs for 469 yards
— Transferred from Colorado to USC before the 2022 season
— Played in 14 games with 12 starts in 2022 and caught 39 passes for 611 yards and four touchdowns; also returned three kickoffs for 49 yards
— Played and started in 11 games in 2023 and caught 37 passes for 644 yards and 12 touchdowns
— American Popular Culture major
— Second-team All-Pac-12 (2023)

TAPE BREAKDOWN

If the name Brenden Rice sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. Rice is the son of San Francisco 49er legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, the greatest wide receiver in NFL history and possibly the greatest football player of all time. Still, Brenden Rice has known from a young age that he can’t rest on what his father did regarding his own success as a football player. Taking that message so seriously, he had it inked onto his body as a daily reminder to create his own success. He has done that in his four years at Colorado and USC, becoming a big, physical presence at wide receiver that brings plenty of intriguing traits to the table as a prospect in this draft class.

When you plug in the tape on Rice, you see a rocked-up wideout with the size and the strength you want in a player on the perimeter with the hand strength to boot. He made a living on combative catches at the college level, routinely out-muscling defensive backs for the football in the air while also showing off strong hands at the catch point to make tough grabs with arms extended away from his body. Watch these two clips. The first shows Rice fighting through a pass interference penalty in a one-on-one portion of Senior Bowl practice to make the catch in the end zone for the score. The second clip shows Rice working back to the football on a desperation heave from Caleb Williams, high-pointing the football in the air in traffic and making the catch while tight roping the sideline to set up the Trojans with first and goal.

As seen above, Rice does a good job coming back to the football and aggressively playing the ball when in the air. He does a good job boxing out defenders like a power forward in basketball, putting them on his back to make the catch. Here are two plays against Oregon where Rice makes tough catches in traffic, working to break open and make the catch with the defender on his back. The first one goes for the score, and the second one goes for a first down.

Rice’s physicality also shows up after the catch, having the speed, burst, and strength to fight through arm tackles as he attempts to rack up as much YAC as possible. Check out this play against the Ducks where Rice catches the slant route and cuts upfield, jumping out of the first tackle attempt while breaking two more, getting into the open field where one defender rips at his jersey, and four more defenders swarm him to eventually bring him down.

Rice’s size and physicality also show up in his willingness as a blocker, having the demeanor to get his fits into defenders’ chests in the run game. Here are a couple of examples against the Ducks where Rice locates and gets a body on a defender, having room to better sustain his block throughout the rep, but shows the desire and the technique to fit his hands on the defender.

While being a bigger-bodied receiver, Rice does a good job coming off his breaks as a route runner, working back to the football on curl/comeback routes and in-breaking routes toward the middle of the field. Check out the two clips below with Rice sitting his hips down and coming back to the football to generate ample separation against the defensive back, making the catch and getting upfield for more yards after the catch. In the second clip, we see Rice breaking off his route hard against Cam Hart at the Senior Bowl, getting an inside release as he leans into the defender, then breaks back inside to get the separation to make the catch and turn upfield for the score.

While Rice has plenty of positives in his game, he still needs some refinement in the nuances at the position. He’s not overly shifty as a route runner regarding foot quickness to separate on short and intermediate routes and lacks that deep speed to blow past coverage defenders like some of the deep threats in the league have. He also can do a better job tracking the ball down the field consistently and achieving better positioning on contested catches to come down with more 50/50 balls in coverage.

CONCLUSION

Brenden Rice is a height/weight/speed threat that brings a physically imposing body to the equation as a wideout. He can make tough, combative catches along the sideline in the end zone or over the middle as a possession receiver/chain mover. He challenges defenses vertically down the field as well as after the catch. He must continue to work on his route refinement and become a more smooth route runner, but the physical traits are there, along with the upside for Rice to develop into a quality receiver in the league.

When coming up with a pro comparison for Rice, Cedric Tillman came to mind as a receiver from last year’s draft class with similar measurables, athleticism, and play style. Tillman is also a contested catch specialist who knows how to generate separation despite being a bigger, less sudden receiver, having gone to the Cleveland Browns in the third round of last year’s draft, a similar range I foresee Rice going this April.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could use another receiver in their room, and Rice fits the size and length that OC Arthur Smith has had in his previous rooms with the Titans and Falcons. He also could help Pittsburgh’s YAC situation as a physical runner after the catch while providing a capable blocker and special team’s contributor to start his NFL career. The Steelers love bloodlines, and they don’t get any better with Rice.

Projection: Late Day 2/ Early Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.8 – Potential Starter/Quality Backup (3rd Round)
Games Watched: at Oregon (2023), vs UCLA (2023), vs Tulane (2022), Senior Bowl