Rashee Rice Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NFL analyst makes bold prediction for Chiefs rookie WR

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 5/3/23

The Chiefs landed a possible steal in second-round pick Rashee Rice, but can he lead rookie WRs in receiving yards?

On a recent episode of NFL Network's "Path to the Draft," former NFL safety and CBS Sports analyst Charles Davis predicted that Rice would lead rookies in the category.

"I'm going to go with a little bit of a surprise," Davis said. "I think (Rice) is going to fill that role JuJu Smith-Schuster had, and QB Patrick Mahomes is going to get him up to speed fast."

Per The Athletic's Nate Taylor, Mahomes and Rice worked out together before the NFL Draft, so they possibly developed some chemistry.

I think Patrick Mahomes will enjoy throwing to Rashee Rice but that’s just me pic.twitter.com/A9rciEL4oG
— Sully Engels (@sullyengels) April 29, 2023

Kansas City GM Brett Veach also believes Rice can fill the same niche as Smith-Schuster, who signed a three-year deal with the Patriots this offseason.

"We did lose JuJu, and I think it makes sense to find a guy that can do a lot of things he can do on the inside game, and he's almost like a running back after the catch," Veach said in a Monday news conference.

Some hype is warranted since Rice displayed an impressive skill set at SMU. In 12 games last season, he had the FBS' third-most receiving yards (1,355) and tallied the fifth-most receptions (96).

Rice might have growing pains because head coach Andy Reid uses a complex offense. Former Chiefs WR and seven-time Pro Bowler Tyreek Hill only started one game during his rookie season, recording 61 receptions in 16 games — the second-lowest mark in his career.

Nonetheless, Rice should be a name to watch because the Chiefs expect him to have a significant role.

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