Brenden Rice's tumble to the seventh round in NFL Draft has left his Hall of Fame father, and arguably the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, Jerry Rice, very disgruntled.
Emerging as a heavy hitter from the USC Trojans team, that boasts of delivering number one overall draft pick Caleb Williams, Brenden was initially seen as a third or fourth-round prospect. He stood out in the 2023 season as the main receiver for Williams, scoring 11 touchdowns in an impressive final year at college.
However, it wasn't until the Los Angeles Chargers threw their hat in the ring during the last round, that Rice was finally selected. A clearly unhappy Jerry did not take kindly to teams passing over his son on day three, revealed Brenden recalling, "My dad was hot. You guys get the flash like... the humble dude, right? Me, he's like, 'Hell no, we're going to take this to a different level. These guys going to feel us.'".
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Despite feeling let down by his draft position, Brenden managed to put the disappointment behind him after attending his best friend's funeral - which took place on his draft day.
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After paying his final respects at the funeral, Rice was en route to Dallas airport when he received the unexpected call from the Chargers, right before boarding the plane back home to Los Angeles, where he will remain to begin his NFL career.
He noted: "It was just like a blessing from God because he allowed me to go ahead and just mourn the death of my friend... and then after that just go ahead and be happy, and it was a glorious day."
Rice looks to have landed in a good situation with the Los Angeles ChargersThough dropping down to the seventh round may certainly have been a tough blow for Rice, he could very well end up extremely grateful for landing with the Chargers.
Staying in his home state is just one part of the attraction. The Chargers also provide Rice with an excellent opportunity to carve out a starting spot for himself, notwithstanding his late-round draft pick status.
With both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams departing this offseason, the Chargers will look t rookies Ladd McConkey and possibly Rice as high-yield players in their debut year.
With no receiver exceeding 600 yards last season on their existing roster, the likes of DJ Chark Jr, Josh Palmer and Quinton Johnson appear primed to vie for headline spots alongside freshers McConkey and Rice.
Jim Harbaugh, the new head coach, has a history of backing rookies during his coaching career in the NFL and college. The former Michigan Wolverine will be well aware of Rice's potential.
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