Rashee Rice, WR SMU: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Rice was a three-star recruit from Richland High School in North Richland Hills, Texas in the class of 2019

SMU wide receiver Rashee Rice earned All-American honors in 2022, but he’s developed into a controversial prospect. Some view him as a top-50 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, while others believe he’s a third round selection. Check out Rice’s draft profile below.

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Rashee Rice, WR SMU: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior wide receiver from North Richland Hills, Texas

Background: Rice was a three-star recruit from Richland High School in North Richland Hills, Texas in the class of 2019. He was the No. 820 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 814 for On3.com. Rice was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 76 grade out of 100. He committed to SMU over offers from Arizona State, Houston, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Texas Tech, and other Power Five programs. As a high school senior, Rice amassed 51 receptions for 841 yards and five touchdowns. He snagged 72 receptions for 1,386 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2017, earning First-Team All-District honors.

Injuries & Off-Field: Played with turf toe in 2022

Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention All-American Athletic Conference, 2022 First-Team All-American Athletic Conference, 2022 Second-Team All-American

Pros: Significant experience in the slot and out wide, ball tracking, body control, arm length expands his catch radius significantly, physical at the catch point, high-points the ball well, impressive leaping skills, quick footwork, good change of direction skills, won’t go down easily, contact balance, will do damage as a YAC option with his legs and physicality, shows some ability to stress defenses vertically, long strides to cover ground quickly, impressive top speed at his size, uses physicality and outside release fake to establish inside leverage on the corner, caused Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson vs TCU (2022) to commit three penalties, violent blocker who wants to bury opponents, plants DBs flat on their rear ends, impressive hand placement and leg drive as a blocker, excellent strength to sustain blocks

Cons: Limited special teams upside, ten drops in 2020 and nine in 2022, three fumbles in 2022, not twitchy or sudden, not very fast off the line, lacks the speed to threaten teams deep consistently, won’t threaten off coverage with speed, struggles to generate separation when a press corner gets into his chest, plays big but lacks imposing height, not truly dominant in contested catch situations, jumps for passes when he doesn’t need to, benefited from plenty of free releases, route tree needs to expand, routes are sometimes more rounded than crisp, needs to be faster working back down his stem on comeback routes, shows some shiftiness after the catch but not an elusive player

Overview: Rice took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6004 and weighs 204 lbs. He has 9 4/8-inch hands and 32 6/8-inch arms. Rice had a 77 1/4-inch wingspan at the Senior Bowl. He was a team captain for SMU in 2022. Rice amassed significant experience in the slot and out wide during his time with the Mustangs. He displays high-end ball tracking and body control. His arm length significantly expands his catch radius. Rice is physical at the catch point, and his impressive leaping ability helps high-point the ball at a high level. The senior plays with quick footwork and good change of direction skills. His above-average contact balance makes it so he won’t go down easily. Rice isn’t a speedster, but he does damage with his legs and physicality after the catch. He shows some ability to stress defenses vertically with his long strides that cover ground quickly. Rice’s top speed is impressive for his play style. He’ll use his physicality and an outside release fake to establish inside leverage on the corner. Rice forced Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson to commit three penalties when SMU faced TCU in 2022. The All-American is a violent blocker who wants to bury opponents. He displays impressive hand placement, leg drive, and strength to sustain as a blocker. Rice offers limited special teams upside. Drops are an issue to keep an eye on with Rice. He lost control of ten potential receptions in 2020 and nine in 2022. He also fumbled three times this past season. Rice is not a twitchy or sudden athlete. He isn’t fast off the line and lacks the speed to threaten teams deep consistently. Rice struggles to generate separation when press corners get into his chest, and he benefited from plenty of free releases at SMU. The Texas native plays big, but he lacks imposing size. There are plenty of contested catches on Rice’s tape, but he wasn’t truly dominant in contested catch situations across his college career. The All-Conference receiver jumps for passes when he doesn’t need to, which contributes to drops and missed YAC opportunities. His route tree must expand at the NFL level. Rice’s routes are sometimes more rounded than crisp. He needs to be faster working back down his stem on comeback routes. The former three-star recruit shows some shiftiness after the catch, but he’s not an elusive player.

Overall, Rice is a physical receiver with excellent ball skills who impacts the run game as a high-level blocker. He plays with slightly above-average contact balance, speed, and YAC-ability, but his lack of high-end route running, athletic traits, and separation skills prevent him from projecting as a team’s top receiver at the next level.

Role & Scheme Fit: X or Z receiver in an 11 personnel heavy scheme

Round Projection: Late Second to Mid Third

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 03-09-23