Why the Chargers drafted USC WR Brenden Rice

The son of the greatest receiver of all time is headed to the Chargers.

With the 225th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chargers have selected USC wide receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.

Wide receiver was one of the position groups in which the Chargers were likely to double-dip in during this draft and they did just that after drafting Georgia’s Ladd McConkey in the second round.

Rice was originally expected to come off the board sometime in the fourth or fifth round but the Chargers somehow got away with landing him in the seventh. The 6’2, 208-pounder is a fine athlete, posting a 4.50 in the 40 with a 36.5-inch vertical and 9’11 in the broad jump. Rice is a big and physical possession receivers with strong hands and excellent body control. He’s got enough speed to win at all levels of the field but he’ll likely do most of his work on third downs and in the red zone. Depending on how much Quentin Johnston progresses from year one to year two, Rice could end up seeing more of the field than you’d expect from a seventh-round pick. Luckily, he wasn’t expected to go anywhere near this low.

The NFL legacy spent his first two collegiate seasons at Colorado where he started 12 games before transferring to USC following the 2021 season. Rice started 23 games over the past two seasons, totaling 1,402 yards and 16 touchdowns, including 12 as a senior.

Rice is an excellent complement to McConkey and helps complete a very good draft for the Chargers. McConkey provides the offense with a shifty and nuanced route-runner who will help stretch the field horizontally. Rice will be a big-bodied target with strong and quick hands who won’t have to separate nearly as often to be “open” by traditional terms.

Despite hoping for Rice to land with the Chargers most of day three, they stuck to their board and still ended up with a great value in the final round.