Rashee Rice on Pace to Crush Historic Rookie WR Record
By Joe Summers
Rashee Rice's incredible season deserves all the praise and recognition that Chiefs Kingdom can muster, but not even his most ardent fans may realize the historic pace the second-round rookie is on.
Sitting at a stat line of 68 catches for 754 yards and 7 TDs, Rice has exploded in recent weeks to become not only one of the most effective rookie WRs in the NFL, but one of the most effective WRs overall.
Check out the latest wild stat below.
Rashee Rice on Historic Rookie Pace
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice has an 81% catch rate, that's the highest for a rookie receiver with at least 70 targets. The data goes back to 1992.
— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) December 18, 2023
Next on the list: Michael Thomas (76%, 2016), Jamison Crowder (75.6%, 2021) & Amon-Ra St. Brown (75.6, 2021).
(h/t @pfref)
For a player that's struggled with drops this season, the fact that Rice is on pace to break the record for rookie catch rate is bananas.
It speaks volumes to his ability to corral contested catches. If it's not an easy drop, it's a catch, which means that he'll be dangerous once his hands develop a bit.
Rice is third among all WRs in yards after catch per reception (7.8) and the Chiefs have expanded his route tree of late. He's improving against man coverage and it looks like Brett Veach found a bonafide star.
Rashee Rice the last 4 weeks:
— Anthony Amico (@amicsta) December 19, 2023
Week 12 -- 68% of routes, 32% of targets
Week 13 -- 69% of routes, 29% of targets
Week 14 -- 82% of routes, 27% of targets
Week 15 -- 93% of routes, 26% of targets
We finally have the WR we've been looking for with Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes has a 126.9 passer rating when targeting his talented rookie. At this point, I'm thrilled every single time I see Mahomes look in Rice's direction.
I can't wait to see what numbers he puts up in the playoffs.
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