Jerry Rice's son Brenden Rice drops emotional message after passing of former Colorado WR Keith Miller: "Trying to mourn but also waiting"
USC wide receiver Brenden Rice was picked No. 225 overall in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft by coach Jim Harbaugh's Los Angeles Chargers, falling four rounds below where he was projected to be picked.
It was a bittersweet day for NFL legend Jerry Rice's son, as he received the news of his draft status during his friend, former Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Keith Miller III's funeral in Dallas, where he was a pallbearer.
The duo played together for the Buffs before transferring to different programs, where they continued their football careers.
Brenden Rice dropped an emotional message about the day on his Instagram stories on Saturday.
“Yesterday I began to drop 4 rounds from where I was supposed to go. Today I laid my brother to rest in Dallas. Trying to mourn but also waiting for a phone call. I don’t know what happened to make me drop but I’m glad God gave me the ability to focus on him and I felt as though God as well as Keith brought me back to my Faith. Now begins the journey up the mountain once again. You will feel my pain,” Rice wrote.
Keith Miller played for the Colorado Buffaloes between 2020 and 2021 before transferring to the Texas A&M Commerce Lions, where he had 457 yards on 39 receptions, resulting in four touchdowns.
He died in his apartment, according to a report on the Texas A&M University-Commerce website.
Why Brenden Rice was a seventh-round pick
Brenden Rice had a decent football career after he left the Colorado Buffaloes for the USC Trojans. He tallied 791 yards on 45 receptions, resulting in 12 touchdowns, and was named second-team All-Pac-12.
NFL draft expert Dane Brugler broke down the attributes that made Rice drop to the seventh round of the NBA draft.
“Though he is efficient in/out of breaks, his separation skills are average at best, and he struggled to consistently win crowded catch points. Overall, Rice must continue working on the finer points to beat press coverage and get open versus NFL corners, but he has the size/speed athleticism and hand-eye coordination to become a better pro than he was a college player. He projects as a backup X/Z receiver with down-the-road starting potential,” Brugler wrote.
Jim Harbaugh coached the quarterbacks for the Oakland Raiders in 2002–2003, when Jerry Rice was a wide receiver for the franchise, and the familiarity will not hurt Brenden Rice.