Former USC wide receiver Brenden Rice is heading to the 2024 NFL Draft and is looking to be just like his father when it comes to being a productive NFL receiver.
Rice is the son of arguably the greatest NFL wide receiver ever, Jerry Rice, and his mom is Djakarta Edwards.
Rice could hear his name called on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. If not, he will definitely hear his name at some point on Day 3.
A Look at Brenden Rice’s Parents
Brenden Rice was born March 18, 2002, to Jerry Rice and Djakarta Edwards in Chandler, AZ.
Learning how to play football from the greatest wide receiver of all time definitely can help a player’s development.
Both of Brenden’s parents instilled a major work ethic and have both been extremely successful in their respective fields.
Legend Jerry Rice in the building to watch his son Brendan Rice at the Combine 🫡pic.twitter.com/c9YwP7IVAd
— Caesars Sportsbook & Casino (@CaesarsSports) March 2, 2024
Getting To Know Jerry Rice
There may not be any position in football where if you ask, “Who is the best player ever at this spot,” there’s a more definitive answer than Jerry Rice at wide receiver.
During his college career at Mississippi Valley State University, the elder Rice finished with 301 catches, 4,693 receiving yards, and 50 touchdowns. After his college career, he was drafted No. 16 overall in the 1985 NFL Draft. That was just a precursor of what his NFL career had in store.
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Jerry finished his career with 1,549 catches, 22,895 receiving yards, and 197 touchdowns. All three of those statistics are NFL records, and all three of them are going to be nearly impossible to break.
Jerry had 14 seasons with at least 1,078 receiving yards and nine seasons with at least 10 touchdowns. His durability is one of the most impressive things about his career. In his age-40 season for the Oakland Raiders, he had 92 catches, 1,211 yards, and seven touchdowns.
The greatest wideout of all time retired from the NFL after the 2004 season and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
The father-son relationship was strained early in Brenden’s life, as he didn’t have a relationship with his dad for many years. Rice was married to another woman when Brenden was born, and Brenden said it was tough for him to have a relationship with his dad early in life.
Now, Brenden says they will talk throughout the day and are always checking in on each other.
Getting To Know Djakarta Edwards
While he wasn’t close with his dad early, Brenden has had a great relationship with his mom.
During an interview with the Cronkite News in 2019, Brenden spoke about what his mother has meant to him.
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“I did not have that father figure for a long period of time, and she truly took over both roles,” Brenden said. “That is what I needed to go ahead and become the person I wanted to become in the long term, and I am truly blessed to have her.”
Edwards is currently a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Phoenix. She is a big sports fan, with her favorite sports being football and basketball.
Does Rice Have any Siblings?
Brenden’s older brother, Qualen Cunningham, played football at Texas A&M from 2014-17. His half-brother, Jerry Rice Jr., played his collegiate football at UCLA and UNLV.
He has half-sisters as well from Rice’s other marriage, but they have stayed out of the media.
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