Brenden Rice NFL Draft 2024: Scouting Report for USC WR

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 208

HAND: 9⅝"

ARM: 33"

WINGSPAN: 78"

40-YARD DASH: 4.50

3-CONE: 6.94

SHUTTLE: 4.32

VERTICAL: 36.5"

BROAD: 9'11"

POSITIVES

— Good acceleration and burst. Powerful strider as he comes off the line.

— Good stop/start ability, primarily as a route-runner. Can throttle down to make a cut and explode back out.

— Above-average YAC threat. Wins with strength and adequate speed.

— Strong, physical player at the top of routes. Can throw DBs off and buy himself space.

— High-effort blocker with the frame and strength to be effective.

NEGATIVES

— Below-average lateral explosion. Struggles to make cuts in space or get width in his stems when necessary.

— Has the strength to win the ball in the air, but needs to more consistently attack the ball and take initiative.

— Needs cleaner technique to beat press. Sometimes wins with power, but too often plays with hands out of control. Doesn't effectively use hands to swipe at DBs.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 45 REC, 791 YDS (17.6 AVG), 12 TD

NOTES

— Born March 18, 2002

— 4-star recruit in Colorado's 2020 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings

— Transferred from Colorado to USC in 2022

— 36 career starts

— 2023 second-team All-Pac-12

— Attended 2024 Senior Bowl

— Son of former NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice

OVERALL

Brenden Rice is an explosive vertical receiver with good size and tantalizing yards-after-the-catch ability.

A two-year starter at USC, Rice was largely used on the vertical axis. He played on the outside and ran a flurry of go routes, posts, curls, hitches and comebacks, all of which directly used his speed or made use of his speed as a threat.

To that point, Rice's acceleration is his major weapon. He erupts off the line of scrimmage and puts defensive backs on skates immediately. Rice brings the fight to them in a hurry. Given his thick frame and physical play style, Rice is tough to deal with when he's just flying like that.

On the routes that require him to throttle down and snap it off, Rice shows the explosive ability and control to do so. Those curls and comebacks are no problem for him. Better yet, Rice's physicality and strength help him get a little extra push off and space at the top of those kinds of routes.

Rice is tough with the ball in his hands as well. He can break off explosive plays, but most of his value is in the first few yards after the catch. Rice's explosion and tough, thick frame make him tough to bring down straight away.

Rice is far from perfect, though. For one, he lacks lateral burst. Rice can struggle to widen his routes when necessary, and he isn't the type of player to make a huge lateral cut in space to make someone miss.

Rice also needs to channel his strength better. At the line of scrimmage, he too often plays with flailing arms rather than with controlled, concise swipes to keep DBs off him. Rice also needs to attack the ball more aggressively at the catch point at times and really take advantage of his strength.

Rice can be a solid vertical X receiver in the NFL. He has the size, strength and explosive movement skills to do so. With that said, Rice still needs to learn to wield his strength more efficiently.

GRADE: 6.8 (Potential Role Player/Contributor — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 104

POSITION RANK: WR21

PRO COMPARISON: Michael Wilson

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

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