Kansas City Chiefs trade up in Round 2 of ’23 NFL Draft, select wide receiver from SMU
The Chiefs traded up during Friday night’s second round of the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City.
And with the 55th overall pick in the second round at Union Station, the Chiefs selected former Southern Methodist wide receiver Rashee Rice.
“Explosive, fast-twitch kid,” Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi said Friday night. “Really good with the ball after the catch; he’s like a running back after the catch.”
The Chiefs sent picks No. 63, 122 (fourth round) and 249 (seventh round) to the Detroit Lions in exchange for picks No. 55 and 194 (sixth round).
The 6-foot-1, 204-pound Rice posted impressive numbers in college, totaling 233 catches for 3,111 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also had one kickoff return for 10 yards.
Rice, who recorded a 4.51 time in the 40-yard dash at last month’s NFL Scouting Combine, had 96 catches for 1,355 yards last season en route to being named a second-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection.
“He can play inside, he can play outside,” Borgonzi said. “Coaches will find a way to get him involved in the offense. (We) feel really good about him.”
The Chiefs’ newest wide receiver, who said he compares his game to Arizona Cardinals wideout DeAndre Hopkins, believes his skill-set is an ideal fit for Kansas City.
“We both attack the ball real aggressive and you never know what we can do when the ball is in our hands,” Rice said.
Rice is a former college teammate of Chiefs backup quarterback Shane Buechele.
“I talked to him the whole time during the draft process,” Rice said. “I ran routes with him, as well. He called me as soon as my name got called on the TV. I mean, that’s my guy.”
The selection of Rice bolsters a Chiefs wide receiver corps currently consisting of Marquez Valdes-Scanting, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Richie James and Justyn Ross, among others.
And Rice is already familiar with Chiefs All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes after working out with him in Dallas before the draft.
“I actually ran a couple of routes with Pat, did a couple of training sessions with him,” Rice said.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach appears to have a preference for using the second round for a wide receiver. This year it was Rice, while previous years brought Moore (2022) and Mecole Hardman (2019).
