*****The Rashee Rice Thread*****

[Dante84]

More to come!

Mahomes knew Rashee Rice was his guy after throwing with him in Dallas.@AdamLefkoe with the scoop �� pic.twitter.com/X8ZAab22kM

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 29, 2023

Rashee Rice | WR | SMU

One of the best WR prospects at the catch point and winning leverage mid-route. He consistently sets up defenders to put them on his back, locates the ball, and attacks it at the highest point.

Skill set is wild for a 6' 200lb WR. pic.twitter.com/ClxW4SJvi5

— Matt Lane (@Matty_KCSN) February 16, 2023

Rashee Rice was drafted with pick 55 of round 2 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.53 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 145 out of 3062 WR from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/lwD9tvVPvv pic.twitter.com/YjucxErSE1

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023

[DJ's left nut]

Ever wanna know what someone means by 'body control' you can just watch that clip.

It's not just NFL caliber but top tier NFL caliber. Few NFL receivers can do what he's doing there.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by raybec 4

Wow, he looks terrible. He can't catch and he can't get space. Just awful.

one thing to keep in mind is that Maryland really didn't press him. They showed man/press, but hardly ever put their hands on him. They will in the NFL.

But yeah, he looks pretty good in the tape.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Ever wanna know what someone means by 'body control' you can just watch that clip.

It's not just NFL caliber but top tier NFL caliber. Few NFL receivers can do what he's doing there.

We saw that from Moore a handful of times last year, too. These guys can really snatch the ball out of the air. I like it.

[smithandrew051]

I like the consistency in his stats from college.

Last year, only 2 games under 70 yards. Still managed 10 catches between those games.

6 100+ yard games. Minimum of 3 catches every week. 6+ catches in 10 games. 24 TDs over his last 3 seasons. Had more catches each season than the previous season.

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

FYP

Honestly outside of Veach catching lightning in a bottle, KC will need to accept the reality that this offense will be built around an elite QB and solid, yet not elite receivers (Kelce being the exception). Thankfully they have some experience with that last year.

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

We saw that from Moore a handful of times last year, too. These guys can really snatch the ball out of the air. I like it.

That was a huge trait of Moore. He seemed to catch everything coming out of college.

[Shoes]

Rice's skillset definitely suggests that he is a great candidate to replace Juju. I think we're sleeping a bit on Juju in regards to how good of a pro he is, it's not easy to have multiple 900 yard seasons in the NFL. The decision to cut bait with JJSS was the correct one though, Juju is injury prone and his contract would be a liability to the Chiefs.

I'm cautiously optimistic with Rice. With who was on the board, I think Rice's skillset compliments the Chiefs the best with who they already have on the roster. I don't think it is unfair to suggest though that his main flaw as a prospect is his separation ability- I think Andy Reid will put him in better positions to succeed though. The reality is that when you're drafting towards the end of each round, you're gonna get prospects with some flaws on their tape.

Anyone suggesting Rice is a terrible pick is reerun'd, crowning Rice as a great pick is also reerun'd. It's easy to understand why the pick was made and how Rashee can help this offense out though- we'll see how it plays out.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Originally Posted by tredadda

Honestly outside of Veach catching lightning in a bottle, KC will need to accept the reality that this offense will be built around an elite QB and solid, yet not elite receivers (Kelce being the exception). Thankfully they have some experience with that last year.

I agree with this mostly, but drafted receivers could certainly turn out to be elite (depending on the definition) without necessarily catching lightning in a bottle. It's always going to be a good idea, though, to employ several talented young receivers over one expensive vet.

[Megatron96]

Rice probably won't blow up in 2023. He's still got a lot of things to work on, and if he really does have press issues, and lacks the ability to run a complete route tree right now, Andy won't have him out there as much.

I could still see 500 yards on 40-50 catches because Andy will find ways to get him the ball, but he won't play in 2-minute drill/hurry-up scenarios, which is normal with Andy's philosophy about rookies anyway. But if he only nets say 35 catches in 2023, we shouldn't be too concerned. Not yet.

[flinchfree]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Here is one of the newest #Chiefs WR Rashee Rice vs Maryland last year. pic.twitter.com/hGivpXYQHV

— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) April 29, 2023

Way fewer stutter steps and slop in that footage when Rice was obviously feeling fully healthy and quick enough to not need to 'shake' defenders.
Also, that ability he has to adjust to the leather in the air - either by adjusting/coming back to the ball or by rising and timing his leap - is a massive skill in itself that a whole lot of receivers in the NFL just don't have. One of the harder things for a CB to cover is a receiver who they think they're sticky to and in position to bat or intercept but who in turn changes the catch point by stopping early and rising to high point at a junction the corner just can't time or affect.
Reckon the Chiefs coaching staff and his new Chief teammates will also bring a whole lot of refinement to how Rashee sets up his routes with instruction not always found at lower level coaching.
Optimistic for this kid.

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Rice probably won't blow up in 2023. He's still got a lot of things to work on, and if he really does have press issues, and lacks the ability to run a complete route tree right now, Andy won't have him out there as much.

I could still see 500 yards on 40-50 catches because Andy will find ways to get him the ball, but he won't play in 2-minute drill/hurry-up scenarios, which is normal with Andy's philosophy about rookies anyway. But if he only nets say 35 catches in 2023, we shouldn't be too concerned. Not yet.

It's gonna come down to how quickly he learns his routes. If Mahomes loses trust with him his targets will go down, much like with Hardman and Moore.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by tredadda

It's gonna come down to how quickly he learns his routes. If Mahomes loses trust with him his targets will go down, much like with Hardman and Moore.

And a better technician, but yeah.

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by tredadda

That was a huge trait of Moore. He seemed to catch everything coming out of college.

He has great hands. He aggressively plucks everything close to him out of the air.

[Icon]

He certainly has great hands and helps his quarterback out when the play breaks down which is great with Patrick. His get-off from the LoS almost seems lackadaisical. That should improve with coaching.

[ChiefsFanatic]

I don't know, or care if this is Q.

This video is Rashee Rice highlights from all 4 years. This YouTube channel also has a video of Marvin Mims Jr.'s career highlights, and Cedric Tillman, and some others. After watching this video, and the Mims video.......lets just say I wish I didn't watch the Mims video.

https://youtu.be/K7YPD7rQge0