Former USC wide receiver Brenden Rice has seen all the highlights of his father, Jerry Rice, breaking records and dominating on the football field with the San Francisco 49ers. With his dad being a sports legend, the younger Rice aspires to follow in his footsteps.
"He's always bragging that he's bigger than me, he's faster than me, stuff like that," Jerry Rice said of his son during a conversation with Sports Illustrated this week. "And I have to reel him back in just a little bit because I said, 'Look at my stats.'"
Jerry added that his son probably should wait to make the comparison until he has at least broken some of the Hall of Fame receiver's many NFL records. Nonetheless, the idea of being drafted by his father's former team intrigues Brenden.
"Honestly, I just hope I go into the right situation," Brenden told Laura Britt of NBC Sports Bay Area this week. "If the 49ers is the perfect situation for me to go ahead and battle for a top position on that team, then most definitely. I'm prepared for it."
Brenden is well aware of the talent on head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad. He named wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, running back Christian McCaffrey, and quarterback Brock Purdy among those who have stood out to him. He even highlighted the team's All-Pro left tackle, Trent Williams.
"Trent's a dog, man," Brenden said. "... He's the most athletic on the team, and people don't understand that. ... There's a difference [in] having a dog mentality, and then you got wolves. Wolves eat dogs. He's a wolf. He's going to go out there and kill some of your top players in the game day in and day out."
Brenden may have only hauled in 45 catches for 791 yards in his final season with the Trojans, but he led the team with 12 touchdowns. Heading into the draft, that will likely prompt several NFL teams to take a closer look at the young receiver.
When asked what kind of advice he gives his son, Jerry Rice said, "So every day, you put that uniform on, you go on the field, and you work hard, and you prove to your teammates that, 'Hey, look, I deserve to wear this uniform and be a part of this team.'"
