Jerry Rice, the Hall of Fame wide receiver, found himself less than pleased when his son Brenden Rice fell to the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Picked as the 225th overall selection, Brenden’s draft day experience was full of highs and lows. When Brenden Rice’s name was finally called in the seventh round, Jerry Rice’s disappointment was palpable.
“He wasn’t too happy,” Brenden admitted, referring to his father.
“My dad was hot,” “The first words he said was, ‘Time to go to work.’ He said, ‘I will be with you every step of the way.’ He said, ‘Now, I’m going to be involved within all of your workouts from now on, and we have a lot of people to prove wrong, a lot of teams that go ahead.’ It’s going to be one hell of a story, that’s all that I’m going to say.”
Jerry Rice was NOT happy Brenden Rice fell to the 7th round of the draft 😳
They’re ready to prove everyone wrong.
(h/t @PFF) pic.twitter.com/bXiuryfPlL
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 14, 2024
Given Brenden’s impressive final season stats at USC—45 receptions for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns, many expected a higher draft pick.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh also weighed in on the matter. He stated that the Chargers had given Brenden a third- or fourth-round grade, making him an obvious choice at pick number 225.
Brenden Rice’s final season at USC was nothing short of spectacular. He achieved personal bests in receptions, yardage, and touchdowns.
The draft process proved to be a trying ordeal for Brenden. He termed it a “frustrating” experience, given the general expectations and evaluations.
Despite the initial disappointment, Brenden Rice views his seventh-round selection as a “blessing in disguise.”He is optimistic about his future with the Chargers and is ready to make his mark.
“I’m in the best position possible to go ahead and make my mark and make my own legacy,” Brenden proclaimed, looking forward to proving himself.
“I went from Caleb Williams to Justin Herbert, and I’m in a room that’s going to allow me to compete, day-in and day-out. Everything’s upon me. If you guys don’t see me coming on this fall, that’s on me. If you guys see me out there, then I put in the necessary work to put my best foot in the door and go out there and produce.”
Behind the scenes, the Chargers were always confident in Brenden’s potential. “It was a no-brainer,” said Harbaugh about the decision to draft him.
