The 2024 NFL Draft is full of father-son connections between the NFL's past and its future.
USC receiver Brenden Rice brings one of those connections. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound USC receiver is expected to be a Day 2 pick after a breakout season for the Trojans last season.
Will Brenden Rice go higher in the NFL Draft than his father, who is arguably the greatest NFL player ever? That is one of the most intriguing questions on Day 2.
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Is Brenden Rice related to Jerry Rice?
Brenden Rice is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice.
Rice holds the NFL record with 208 career TDs, which he scored over a 20-year NFL career with the 49ers, Raiders, and Seahawks. CBSSports.com ranked the top 25 NFL players of all-time in 2023. Rice was No. 2 behind quarterback Tom Brady.
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Jerry Rice college stats
Jerry Rice played in the FCS at Mississippi Valley State from 1981-84 where he put together one of the greatest college football careers of all-time.
Rice totaled 301 catches, 4,963 yards, and 50 TDs in that four-year stretch.
| Year | Rec. | Yds | Avg. | TD |
| 1981 | 30 | 428 | 14.3 | 2 |
| 1982 | 66 | 1,133 | 17.1 | 7 |
| 1983 | 102 | 1,450 | 14.2 | 14 |
| 1984 | 103 | 1,682 | 16.3 | 27 |
| Total | 301 | 4,963 | 15.6 | 50 |
His 27 TDs in 1984 remain a single-season FCS record. Rice also holds the FCS record for most receptions in a game when he caught 24 passes for 219 yards against Southern Miss on Oct. 1, 1983. He ranks third in FCS history in career receiving yards behind Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp (6,464), and Elon's Terrell Hudgins (5,250).
The San Francisco 49ers took Rice with the No. 16 pick in the 1985 NFL Draft.
Jerry Rice NFL career
Jerry Rice was a 13-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time Super Bowl champion in the NFL.
He led the NFL in receiving yards six times, TD receptions six times, and receptions twice. He was the favorite target for a pair of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Joe Montana and Steve Young in San Francisco.
Rice was the MVP of Super Bowl XXIII, a 20-16 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals in which Rice had 11 catches for 215 yards and a TD. Rice had 14 seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving, including a 1,211-yard season with Oakland in 2002 when he was 40.
- Rice is the all-time NFL leader in receptions, receiving yards, and TDs.
- Rice ranks first all-time in receptions at 1,549 catches. Larry Fitzgerald is second with 1,432 catches.
- Rice holds the all-time record in receiving yards with 22,895 yards. Fitzgerald is second with 17,492 yards.
- Rice holds the all-time record for TD catches with 197. Randy Moss is second with 156.
Those three records are the bar for all NFL receivers to follow.
Brenden Rice stats
Rice played one season at Colorado in 2020 before transferring to USC. He worked into a starting role at USC in 2022 and became a favorite target of Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.
Rice had a breakout season in 2023 with 45 catches, 791 yards, and 12 TDs. He scored at least one TD in 10 games last season.
Rice was a reliable intermediate and deep target in USC's high-scoring offense. He had eight receptions on 20 targets for 352 yards and six TDs on passes of 20 yards or more, according to Pro Football Focus. He caught 12-of-15 passes for 186 yards on passes of 10-19 yards. If anything, Rice needs the most work on short routes, which will be an emphasis early in his career.
Rice ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, and that included a 1.55 10-yard split. He is a potential draft-day steal depending on the landing spot, and Sporting News' latest seven-round mock is one of those fits.
| Year | Rec. | Yds | Avg. | TD |
| 2020 | 6 | 120 | 20 | 2 |
| 2021 | 21 | 299 | 14.2 | 3 |
| 2022 | 39 | 611 | 15.7 | 4 |
| 2023 | 45 | 791 | 17.6 | 12 |
| Total | 111 | 1,821 | 16.4 | 21 |
Brenden Rice NFL Draft projection
Rice is projected to be a third-round pick, according to Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer's seven-round mock draft. Iyer predicts the Kansas City Chiefs will select Rice with the No. 95 pick. Iyer writes: "The Chiefs should like Rice's size and speed, giving them another outside playmaker beyond veteran newcomer Marquise Brown."
In that scenario, Rice would be catching passes from three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes II. That's the right way to start an NFL career. It certainly worked out for Jerry Rice with Joe Montana and Steve Young, right?