KC Chiefs: Travis Kelce says Rashee Rice is ‘tough as nails’
By Matt Conner
Travis Kelce had nothing but good things to say about his new teammate Rashee Rice on the latest episode of his podcast, New Heights.
While a lot of fans in Chiefs Kingdom were frustrated that the team whiffed on the first tier of wide receivers taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, Kansas City selected a player at the position in the second round with the decision to grab Rashee Rice out of SMU.
Rice was a highly productive receiver at SMU with over 1,300 yards last season alone and 19 touchdowns over the last two years for the Mustangs. And while everyone praises his ability to make the contested catch, some scouts had reservations about some aspects of his game including his route-running and drops.
If you want to know what Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce thinks, however, you should know he’s very excited about the pick. In fact, he had plenty of praise for Rice when asked about him on the latest episode of his podcast.
The latest episode of New Heights is out, Travis’s podcast with his brother Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles, and both football players spoke about this year’s draft. When asked about Rice, Kelce lit up and referred to him as the “dark horse” in this year’s rookie class.
“He might be the dark horse in this wide receiver class, man. I was watching some highlights. I like what he does with the ball in his hands. He’s got a good feel for voids over the middle of the field and he’s tough as nails. I love wide receivers that are just tough dudes, guys that will stick their face in the fan, do the dirty work. He’s a guy that can be counted on in the passing game and I think he’s gonna help us out in a lot of different areas on the field.”
Given that the Chiefs lost JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason, Rice sounds like the sort of receiver who is going to fill in some of the missing pieces in the wide receiver room. Given enough time in Andy Reid’s offense, it should be fun to watch him work next to Kelce on the field alongside other promising receivers like Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore.