An NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver’s son said this week at the 2024 NFL Combine that he’d love to play for the New York Giants.
No, it wasn’t Marvin Harrison Jr. It was Brendan Rice, son of the great Jerry Rice, who is regarded by many to be the dean of all wideouts.
The younger Rice, 21, is entering the 2024 NFL draft after a 39-game college career that began at Colorado and ended at USC with 103 receptions for 1,674 yards and 20 touchdowns.
His name recognition has generated some interest in him by both the media and NFL teams, one of them being the Giants.
“Yes, I have met with the Giants,” Rice told the media in Indianapolis this week.
“The Giants would be lit to go to. I would love it. Just the opportunity to go to New York. I feel as though the team and organization is very sound and they could go ahead and build something in the coming future.”
Rice, who is long and lean like his famous father at 6-foot-2, ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at the combine this week and his workout drew some criticism from his dad.
From ABC4.com:
After running the 40, Rice ran routes and showed off his hands with a tough shoestring catch on the sideline. While his dad was impressed, he was quick to critique his son on the play.
“He’s gotta drag that back foot,” Rice said, alluding to the fact that his son didn’t get both his feet down. The comment drew laughs from the NFL Network crew that featured Michael Irvin, Kurt Warner and Steve Smith.
Jerry appears to be all-in on his son’s journey into professional football. How ironic would it be for the younger Rice to end up in Blue with the Giants, who were a chief rival for Jerry’s great 49ers teams of the 1980s?
Asked what the best piece of advice his father gave was, Brendan was frank.
“He always said, ‘You’ve got a last name, so you got a target on your back.’
“‘Make sure you stay in the moment and don’t make the moment too big. Don’t overthink and you’ll be just fine.'”
He’ll certainly get his chance and is sizing up as an early Day 3 (and possibly late Day 2) selection in the 2024 NFL draft.
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