Dan Harms
Feb 22, 2023
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 200
Projected 40 time: 4.45
Strengths: Ball tracking
Weakness: Getting in and out of breaks
The curious case of Rashee Rice.
I've seen his name all over Twitter for a while now and whether you've fallen for the playmaker out of SMU yet or not is more a matter of if you've seen his highlight tape. He's made some BALLER catches, there's no denying it. But what is he doing the rest of the time?
Rice wasn't making much of a dent in the college wide receiver world until his senior season, outside of putting up touchdowns. In his sophomore and junior years, he combined for 14 touchdowns while wracking up 1353 receiving yards. Not a bad college career by any stretch. Things changed his senior year. He saw more volume and success and it turned him into an early candidate for early draft riser finishing his senior season with 96 catches for 1355 yards and 10 touchdowns.
That'll put you on the map.
Catches like this? Get you noticed. Rice plays above the rim as well as any receiver in this draft for his size. He picks up the ball early which comes back to tracking. Being able to locate the ball quickly puts the defender at your mercy. His timing on these catches is critical. He jumps through the hold and gives himself time to put his body between the ball and anyone that could make a play on it. He got shaken up here, but came back and kept playing. The circus catches and catch attempts are all over his tape.
He doesn't consistently show the ability to stack and clear from the corner but the outside transition in his stem creates a lane for him to work with at the sideline. Pay attention to his head. Showcasing the ball tracking downfield allows him to be a deep threat even without true burner speed. College rules for a catch are FUN. We're seeing it in the XFL now as well with one foot being the rule and it brings a different level to the circus catches we can see. I love it.
Route running is an art. Being able to break off corners and sink your hips to get in and out of your breaks is a big part of being successful at the NFL level. The routes for Rice have a consistency issue. His hips aren't always the most fluid and we can see that show up in the bottom clip. It kinda looks like it hurts for him to break and turn for the ball. The top clip is the bigger concern for me. He ran a ton of curl routes at SMU but when it comes to these throws we often see the QB throw with anticipation. Rice doesn't explode enough out of his breakdown and the timing gets thrown off, allowing the corner to make a play on the ball. Timing, timing, timing. It can make or break you in the NFL.
He gives me hope. Reading defenses and finding holes in the defense is ESSENTIAL to moving the chains. Rice is faced with a zone corner showing press so after Rice releases and hits the corner with the outside jab, he opens to the field. That tells Rice that it's zone coverage. He cuts back up inside and finds that spot in the zone and turns to the ball. Smooth route, smooth transition, and then smooth after he plucks the ball out of the air. Transition to attack after the catch is another area that Rice has a little inconsistency but he shows it more often than not. Sees the field well and can manipulate in his stem releases.
One thing I'll note is that while he was at the Senior Bowl he showed much more attention to detail when moving corners with his intention that got him open. His routes were still rough around the edges, but he improved day after day and in practices with coaches. That's a positive.
Press coverage. How do you handle a corner in your face, getting his hands on you, trying to throw off timing and re-route you? Not great. Even with using his hands and getting to the inside of the corner, he doesn't have the technical refinement in his hand work to time slaps and mix up how he uses them. The acceleration after he finds space away from the corner is lacking as well. Defenders hang out in his hip pocket routinely and wait for the throw. I'd venture a guess that SMU didn't have a ton of freedom in their route tree to change based on the coverage look. That, or Rice wasn't very creative after he was able to stack corners in press.
While I was at Mobile, I saw Rice taking on more end arounds and schemed touches and that got me excited. I remembered watching this play and his vision after the catch is impressive not only to see the hit coming quickly, but to break it with reactionary movement. Not once, but twice. Intuitive with the ball in his hand, his eyes help him find defenders and space well. A better athlete in space than I expected, given his routes and hip sink. Kind of an enigma.
All in all, Rice was an interesting evaluation. He has some technical refinement work to do in the NFL, but the ball skills and movement in space should find him a role in an offense. There's potential there for Rice to be shaped and molded into a better player than a prospect. I hope a team can do that, until then, I can't wait to see where he goes and the first crazy NFL catch he makes.