USC Football: Brenden Rice Heads to New England in Latest CBS Mock Draft

Rice lands in the AFC East here.

Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Southern California wide receiver Brenden Rice (WO25) during the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL draft is less than a week away, and soon enough, many young people's dreams will come true. Many of these prospects will be ready to set the league on fire and show they are worthy of being an NFL draft pick.

USC wide receiver Brenden Rice is one player who will look to do so. Rice will be selected a week from now; the only question is, "On what day?"

Well, according to the latest CBS Sports mock draft by Josh Edwards, Rice will head to New England with the 137th overall pick on day three of the draft.

The 137th pick is selected in the fifth round of the draft.

Rice could be chosen between day two and day three of the draft. If Rice is available past the fourth round, it will be a steal for any organization. Rice is someone that is considered a late bloomer. He is the son of legendary NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice and will look to prove he is far beyond the son of a Hall of Famer.

Brenden is coming off an outstanding senior season with the Trojans. Rice collected career highs off the board with 45 receptions for 791 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 17.6 yards per reception. His skills on the gridiron are elite as well. He demonstrates outstanding length and an "alpha dog" mentality on 50/50 balls. Rice is also a natural hands catcher and consistently points the ball, which diminishes a defender's chance to break up a play in tight windows.

Rice stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 215 pounds. He has all the raw tools to succeed in the NFL immediately. The Patriots would need an elite pass catcher to go with their rookie quarterback.

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