USC Football: Former Trojan Seen As Huge High-Upside Pick After Falling in Draft

How elite could this former USC pass catcher become in the NFL?

Sep 2, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Brenden Rice / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Seven USC Trojans were drafted in the late April 2024 NFL Draft. Those players are set to take the NFL world by storm and carve out a name for themselves. All eyes were on and will continue to be on former USC star quarterback and No. 1 overall pick for the Chicago Bears, quarterback Caleb Williams. 

While Williams is rightfully attracting attention, let's not overlook the unique journey of our other drafted USC Trojans, including seventh-round draft pick wide receiver Brenden Rice. Rice, a player with immense potential, was selected with the No. 225 pick by the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite being projected to go earlier, fate led him to the Chargers. This unexpected turn of events has led Chargers Wire columnist Alex Insdorf to believe that Rice's draft position could be a blessing in disguise, setting him up as a high-upside pick. 

"... Rice is not an ideal route runner at this stage of his career and could be considered a little slow on his releases relative to some other names in this class," Insdorf writes. "But it's easy to see a path to improvement with how much he did improve at USC. There are some standout games for him from last season against UCLA and Arizona State where he showed what he was capable of."

"Take the physicality in the seventh round and worry about his ability to develop all of the necessary skills later," per Indsorf. "Considering how early he was projected to go, I think you have to consider this pick a win. Also, NFL bloodlines are what they are."

The former Trojan had himself one heck of a year in his senior season and showed he could be a threat at the next level. He uses his tall frame, standing at 6-foot-2, and is a natural hands catcher, and uses his impressive top-end speed for yards after the catch opportunities. 

With no real WR1 for the Chargers, Rice can establish himself as a top-level threat for Justin Herbert this summer. At the end of the day, Rice gets to stay in Los Angeles and has a chance to get some major runs in his first year in the NFL. 

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