Brenden Rice, the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, will finally get to carry on his father’s legacy. The younger Rice, who played with Caleb Williams at USC, was drafted as the 7th round 225th overall pick. However, while getting drafted is in itself a dream come true, people who expected him to go early weren’t happy that teams slept on him. One such person is Jerry Rice Jr., half-brother of Brenden.
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The former Redskins star took to X (formerly Twitter) to vent his frustration when his brother wasn’t getting picked. He felt it was disrespectful to Brenden’s talent and all the hard work he had put in.
“What point does this start to be considered disrespectful,” Rice Jr. wrote in a tweet.
However, the fans didn’t quite like what Rice Jr. was trying to insinuate. Hundreds of them flocked to the comments, with some making it very clear that a player’s last name doesn’t necessarily reflect their performance on the field. Others even quipped that ‘entitlement’ is the only reason why Brenden fell.
Interestingly, these comments instigated a back-and-forth between Rice Jr. and the fans. When a fan pointed out that it wasn’t disrespectful that he wasn’t picked because you don’t deserve a spot just because of who your father is—Jerry Jr. argued that the Rice family is full of hardworking people who don’t look for handouts.
People kept expressing their opinions as to why he hadn’t been drafted yet, with some questioning his route running, while others stated that even if he got picked late or even as an undrafted free agent, he should be grateful because many would give anything to be just part of the roster or even a practice squad.
Nevertheless, despite the reactions, it’s worth noting that Brenden does have a good shot of making the roster and even the starting lineup because the Bolts don’t have much experience in their ranks and would have to rely on young drafted receivers.
Brenden Rice’s LA Chargers Preview
The Chargers season ended in disappointment under Brendon Staley. They made an immediate change, hiring the National Championship winner, Jim Harbaugh. After signing several players in free agency, the Bolts made the best use of the draft process, picking up some gems with their 9 available draft picks.
According to Chargers.com, with the 5th overall pick, they drafted 6’9 OT Joe Alt. In the 2nd round, they grabbed an electric pass-catcher in Ladd McConkey. Junior Colston, Harbaugh’s former LB, came in the 3rd round. The sixth round brought running back Kimani Vidal to add to the RB room, which already has JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Finally, with their two 7th-round picks, they brought in Brenden Rice and Cornelius Johnson from Michigan to add depth to the receiver core, which lost Mike Williams and Keenan Allen during free agency.
Brenden Rice has the size and speed to compete in that wideout room. Given the options are sparse and young, Rice has a real shot of making that WR2 spot his own.
