Jerry Rice is of course known more for his time leading the NFL in receiving and winning Super Bowls with the 49ers than for his later period with the Raiders, but it’s important to recognize that he was a great Raider during his time with the team. Actually, Rice’s 1,211 yards in 2002 still holds 10th all-time on the team’s single-season receiving chart.
Now, as the NFL draft approaches this weekend, Rice’s son, Brenden Rice, is getting ready to enter the league after playing in college for four years. And according to Raiders.com, there is hope that he might join his father in the silver-and-black.
Regarding Rice, team writer Levi Edwards suggested that the team might consider adding him as an X receiver to the wideout group.
“I really believe Brenden Rice is one of the more underrated players in this group …” Edwards wrote on the site.
“Like his Hall of Fame father, he has great skills in running routes and tracking the ball. He’s also an inch taller and almost 10 pounds heavier than his father during his playing days. He also ran a 40-yard dash .2 seconds faster than his father. At the moment, the Raiders only have five receivers on their roster, and I believe Rice would be an impressive Day 2 or 3 addition.”
Brenden Rice Managed 12 TDs in 2023
Rice caught 45 passes for 791 yards last season for USC, scoring 12 receiving touchdowns, which ranked tied for No. 9 in all of college football. He is not as precise and skilled as his father was as a receiver (no one is), but he is a more physical player at 6 feet 2 inches, 208 pounds.
He did well at the NFL combine, even though he did not significantly improve his stock. Rice ran a 4.50 40-yard dash, which was 24thth out of 30 wide receivers.
From The 33rd Team’s scouting report: “Rice clearly has qualities that will be effective at the next level, but his 2023 tape strongly suggests that he will fit specific teams and schemes. Rice has great size along with physical and competitive toughness in his play, but he is not a sudden or explosive athlete, which was consistently evident in his tape.
“He was significantly involved in USC’s offense in 2023 as the boundary X, which requires the ability to separate and win against man coverage as a core aspect of the position. However, there will be valid questions whether Rice can do that at the next level against quality corners.”
Raiders WRs Need Serious Help
Now, it’s important to clarify that Brenden Rice does not have the same level of talent as his father. Not even close.
His trajectory closely mirrors that of his dad. While Jerry Rice was an overlooked prospect who played for Mississippi Valley State in college, but was impressive enough to be a first-round pick in 1985, Brenden Rice spent two years at Colorado before transferring to USC—two prominent football powerhouses—for his final two seasons.
It would be a nice bit of symmetry if their careers were opposite reflections in another way—with Brenden Rice beginning his career where Jerry Rice effectively ended his (half-season in Seattle notwithstanding).
Edwards pointed out that the Raiders currently only have five receivers on the roster, and two of those—Kristian Wilkerson and DJ Turner—failed to catch a single pass last year. The work was all done by Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker. There is definitely space for more people in that group.
Rice could be a great addition.
