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USC Football: Brenden Rice Furious About Fall In Draft

Should Rice have gone earlier in the draft?

Matt Levine

One of the bigger storylines from the 2024 NFL draft was that former USC Trojans wide receiver Brenden Rice fell all the way to the seventh round. Rice, the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice, was projected to be taken somewhere around the fourth round in most mock drafts. But NFL teams seemingly weren't very high on his skill set.

Rice eventually was taken by the Los Angeles Chargers, giving him the chance to stay in Southern California. Now with the Bolts, Rice is determined to make those who passed him up pay.

While he isn't on the same level as some of the elite prospects from this year's draft class, Rice is still a very good football player. He posted 45 catches for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season with the Trojans.

Rice will likely become a favorite target of quarterback Justin Herbert if he sees playing time, simply due to his ability to stretch the field. He can make contested catches look easy and Herbert will love him.

It doesn't matter that Rice landed in the seventh round and he will now have the opportunity to prove everyone wrong. Rice has all the talent to be an impactful player at the next level and the Chargers may have gotten a steal here.

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Matt Levine

MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.