Rashee Rice Scouting Report and NFL Draft Player Profile

Rashee Rice Scouting Report Draft Measurements

6’2” / 203 lbs.

Rashee Rice 40-Yard Dash Time – 4.36

Rashee Rice Draft Profile

Rice is a former 3-star recruit out of Richland High School in North Richland Hills, Texas. According to his 247sports recruiting profile, he was the 85th-best player in the state of Texas in 2019. He was also the 86th-best receiver in the nation. Rice was a 3-year Varsity letterman in football and also played varsity basketball his sophomore year. According to MaxPreps, in his three years on Varsity, he played in 28 games and had 118 receptions for 2,159 yards and 24 touchdowns. This efficiency drew attention from loads of Division I programs, 23 of which offered him a scholarship. Although he had these many scholarship offers, he only made one official visit and that was to the first school that offered him. That school was SMU, where he committed before his senior season.

According to ESPN, as a true freshman, he racked up 25 receptions for 403 yards and 1 touchdown. After this solid season, he has proven to be one of the best receivers in the American Athletic Conference throughout his career. In his senior season, he had 96 receptions for 1,355 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had the 3rd most receiving yards in the nation and 2nd most in the AAC. Nathaniel Dell was the only AAC receiver in front of him.

Strengths

Route Running

Rashee Rice is one of the most natural route runners in the 2023 NFL Draft class. When the ball is snapped, he shows off his incredible acceleration to quickly stem his route. After reaching the top of his route stem, he does a good job of sinking his hips and exploding in a different direction. His quick release allows him to easily manipulate an opposing DB’s hips forcing them to turn in the opposite direction. When he is lined up against press coverage, he does a good job of using his strength to fight through pressure at the line. Although Rice is a very gifted route runner, he has had a limited route tree while at SMU. This makes me question if he can be a consistent route runner in the NFL.

Play Strength

Rashee Rice is a very physical receiver. He does a good job of fighting through pressure at the line of scrimmage and at the top of his route stems. I was also impressed with Rice’s strength when he is run-blocking. On outside zone runs, he does a good job of quickly getting to the 2nd level and getting his hands on the DBs. At the point of attack, he gets his hands high and inside. This allows him to control the DB to the middle of his body and steer them out of the way if needed. The final way that his physicality stands out is after he gets the ball in his hands. Although he has amazing athleticism to elude defenders, he can also break tackles by dropping his shoulder or maintaining balance through contact.

Body Control

As I mentioned in his draft profile, Rice had the 3rd-most receiving yards in the nation this season. This is primarily because he was a reliable option for Tanner Mordecai all season. Rice does a good job of catching the ball with his hands. This allows him not to rely on his body to help cushion the catch. He also shows good concentration, athleticism, and grip strength to make catches thrown above his frame. After making catches along the sideline, he does a good job of controlling his body so he can keep his feet in bounds.

Yards After Catch

Given that Rice was one of the most productive college receivers this season, it is safe to say he is very good at racking up yards after the catch. In the open field, he uses his amazing acceleration to quickly gain yards before getting hit. If he does get hit, he is good at shedding tackles using his lower body strength and amazing balance. Rice also has good lateral agility that allows him to change directions on a dime, making defenders miss.

Weaknesses

Concentration

Rashee Rice seems to lack aggression in the middle of the field. When running routes inside the numbers, he has a tendency to drop the ball. This often occurs when he takes his eyes off the ball before it is secure. I also noticed that this happens when he is bracing for contact when making the catch. In order to be effective in the middle of the field, you have to be able to concentrate when making the catch. This allows you to absorb the hit and hold onto the ball.

Route Versatility

As I mentioned earlier, Rice is a very talented route runner. Or at least he is talented in the routes that he consistently runs. Throughout his career at SMU, he has primarily acted as a weapon on short-intermediate passing plays. On plays where there would be routes in many levels on the field, he would rarely be the deep route. I think this is the case because he has not proven to be adequate at tracking deep balls over his shoulder.

Rashee Rice Draft Stock

Rashee Rice is one of the top receivers in the 2023 NFL Draft Class. I have concerns about his limited route tree and inability to consistently make catches in the middle of the field. But, he has lots of potential which makes me believe that he will be drafted toward the middle of the 2nd round.

Final Thoughts on Rashee Rice

Rashee Rice is one of the most technical route runners in the nation. He is very light on his feet which allows him to quickly stem his route. After reaching the top of his route stem, he does a good job of digging his foot into the ground and changing direction. When the ball is thrown his way, he shows that he can consistently make catches with his hands. This allows him to square up his hips and rack up lots of yards after the catch.

I also love Rice’s ability to do the dirty work when on the field. When run blocking, he does a good job of using his strength to control and steer defenders. Before he becomes a primary target for an NFL offense, he needs to work on improving his route versatility. This will make him very unpredictable in the NFL and will confuse defenses. He also needs to work on securing the ball in the middle of the field when bracing for contact.

Rashee Rice Player Comparison

Rashee Rice shows me glimpses of Allen Robinson and Chris Godwin when they were in college. The only big difference between Rice and these two is that Godwin and Robinson have bigger route trees. His playmaking ability also reminds me of rookie Justyn Ross who had an incredible career at Clemson.

Rashee Rice Scouting Report and Player Profile Analyst – Matthew Lewis