Chiefs Trade Up, Select WR Rashee Rice With No. 55 Overall Pick
The Kansas City Chiefs didn't originally pick until the 63rd overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, but a swap with the Detroit Lions gave general manager Brett Veach and company the 55th selection to work with. With that pick, Kansas City capitalized on its trade and selected SMU wide receiver Rashee Rice. Trade details are below, courtesy of ESPN's Field Yates:
Rice was a four-year player at SMU, hauling in 96 passes for 1,355 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior campaign. He was my pick at 63rd overall — the Chiefs' original second-round pick — in the Arrowhead Report Chiefs Mock 3.0. He also had a top-30 draft visit with the team during the pre-draft process. Here's what I had to say about the pick at the time in the mock:
Wide receiver is perhaps the Chiefs' biggest position of need right now, and SMU's Rashee Rice is another player who had a top-30 visit with the team. The 6-foot, 204-pound wideout is a menace as a vertical threat and would add something to Andy Reid's offense that has been missing in recent years. When the ball is heading his way, Rice does everything in his power to ensure that he'll come down with it. That, combined with some underrated yards-after-catch prowess, could make him an interesting Day 2 pick for any NFL team. The Chiefs land him here, getting someone who could make an impact in year one as a contested-catch target if trusted.
With the selection, the Chiefs add Rice into a wideout room that contains the likes of Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Richie James, Justin Watson and others. It's a room filled with depth, but a lot of unproven players that still have to compete this offseason and find their respective ways on offense. As a Day 2 pick, Rice should be expected to secure not just a roster spot, but also a role on the team in 2023-24.
The NFL Draft Bible on Sports Illustrated has a smooth two-sentence summary of Rice's game:
This is a wildly underrated prospect at receiver. He is a smooth route runner who knows how to get open and is electric with the ball in his hand.
Rice measured up at just under 6-foot-1 in the pre-draft process, weighing 204 pounds and also posting some elite explosiveness grades on the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) board. That jives with his profile as a contested-catch target who competes hard for the ball and can also have a bit of post-catch production as he progresses. Rice is a tough player who played through a turf toe injury earlier in the 2022 collegiate season but remained productive.
