Rashee Rice made quite a first impression on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Prior to the NFL Draft, Mahomes returned to his native Texas and worked out with several NFL prospects, including Rice, the SMU standout receiver. Turns out Mahomes will get to throw passes to Rice a lot more going forward.
The Chiefs moved up in the second round of Friday’s NFL Draft held at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., and selected Rice with the 55th overall selection, leapfrogging from the No. 63 pick.
“I ran a couple routes with Pat and had a couple training sessions with him,” Rice said. “It was great. You can’t complain about anybody like him. He made me feel like I was running the best routes in the world, putting it exactly where it needed to be.”
Rice, who played four years at SMU, caught 96 passes for 1,335 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. At 6-foot-1 and 204 pounds, Rice gives the Chiefs’ receiving crops some size as JuJu Smith-Schuster left in free agency. The Chiefs also lost Mecole Hardman in free agency, and Rice will now be counted on to contribute along with returnees Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney.
Rice could line up inside or outside, but he’s just looking forward to being on the field.
“Anywhere there’s a mismatch,” Rice said. “I feel like I can play outside or inside. Wherever coach feels like I need to be to make a play I’m there. It doesn’t really matter to me.”
As Rice received his congratulatory phone call from the Chiefs telling him he had just been drafted, Mahomes called Rice. But Rice had to tell the two-time Super Bowl MVP that he would call him back after he was done talking to Chiefs coach Andy Reid and team officials.
In the buildup to the draft, Rice had met with Reid and other Chiefs coaches and said he felt like Kansas City was the place he wanted to go.
“It felt like home as soon as I got there,” Rice said. “I knew this was the place that I wanted to be.”
It also stands to reason that Mahomes talked to team officials on Rice’s behalf, and if Mahomes did, Rice was grateful.
“If he did, I appreciate him all the way,” Rice said. “When I get chance — when I get done from all this — I’m going to call him as soon as I can.”
CHIEFS SELECT OU TACKLE MORRIS
In the third round, the Chiefs addressed a need along the offensive line with the selection of Oklahoma tackle Wanya Morris.
The 6-foot-5, 312-pound Morris began his college career at Tennessee and got to play a little with Chiefs guard Trey Smith before transferring to Oklahoma. There Morris got to know Chiefs center Creed Humphrey.
Morris, who started eight of nine games last season for the Sooners while missing time with a shoulder injury, has played both left and right tackle and is considered one of the more versatile linemen in the draft. It appears though that he will compete for the starting right tackle spot with the Chiefs but could play elsewhere if needed.
“I think my versatility speaks for itself,” Morris said. “I don’t know where I’m going to play, but I’ll play wherever they need me.”
