Lions draft prospect of the day: Brenden Rice, WR, USC

[DSF]

The Lions Draft Prospect of the Day is the son of one of the greatest players in NFL history, looking to carve a path of his own into the next level.

The focus for these prospects is on players who should hold some appeal to the Lions in the draft, with a focus on the more likely positions the team will be targeting: OL, EDGE, CB, DT, S and WR. Not all will be top-100 players, and that includes today’s prospect.

Brenden Rice, WR, USC​

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 208 pounds (measured at NFL Scouting Combine)

Rice is the son of Jerry Rice, who occupies rare space within the ranks of the NFL’s greatest offensive players of all time. Brenden is a different style of wideout from his legendary father and didn’t have a prolific career for USC or Colorado (he transferred in 2022). His best season was his senior year when the widebodied Rice caught 45 passes for 791 yards and 12 TDs. In 31 games before that, he barely managed 1,000 yards and scored nine TDs on 66 receptions.

The breakout campaign playing with presumptive No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, as well as a decent Senior Bowl showing, has helped elevate Rice’s profile entering the draft.

Rice turned 22 earlier in March.

Related​

Lions draft prospect of the day: Kitan Oladapo, S, Oregon State​

What I like​

• Very good strength for his size and for the position
• Excellent hands and hand strength in tight quarters
• Progressed at presenting himself as a target in the red zone and on comeback routes
• Enthusiastic and effective blocker down the field
• Uses a long stride to create some space after the release
• Very good at tracking the deeper throws and adjusting his body to haul it in

What worries me going into the NFL​

• Plodding feet off the line
• Runs his routes too tall, and it limits his ability to separate; doesn’t sink his hips into breaks well
• Played almost exclusively on the left outside; no real positional variety
• Average speed (4.5 40-yard dash), and he lacks an extra gear
• Benefitted a lot from a QB who wasn’t afraid to give him chances to make a play on broken/extended plays

Best game I watched: Oregon

Worst game I watched: Notre Dame (in person)

Overall​

Rice didn’t look anything like a professional prospect other than his famous name until his final season at USC. His comfort in the red zone and working better in tighter quarters helped propel him into a potential NFL player in his own right. Lions fans can be forgiven for thinking they’re watching a smaller, slightly slower version of Kenny Golladay when viewing Rice; they’re quite similar stylistically.

The arrow is pointing up for Rice thanks to a strong Senior Bowl, both in 1-on-1s and team drills, and improved all-around play as a senior for the Trojans. Strip away the surname and Rice looks like a late Day 3 pick with some sleeper/late bloomer potential. As it looks now, if Detroit wants him it’ll likely take their third-round pick to land Jerry’s son. That’s significantly higher than I’d be comfortable with taking Brenden Rice.

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