The Pittsburgh Steelers and Head Coach Mike Tomlin have shown a pattern of bringing in players who come from strong NFL bloodlines.
The organization has consistently selected players in the draft who have current, or past, family ties with the NFL. In the 2023 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh selected Joey Porter Jr. with the 32nd overall pick, who is the son of Steelers great, Joey Porter Sr. Tomlin has a track record of loving these kinds of players, and there is a strong candidate in a position of need for Pittsburgh to continue this trend in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Going into the 2024 NFL Draft, the Steelers have a handful of glaring needs. These include center, tackle, linebacker, cornerback, defensive line, and wide receiver. The Steelers desperately need to find an effective third wide receiver, as Allen Robinson II was a non-factor at the position for the majority of the 2023 season. Mike DeFabo of The Athletic published a big board for each of the Steelers’ first three selections in the 2024 Draft, and possible candidates for their third round pick are headlined by Brenden Rice, who is the son of NFL legend, Jerry Rice.
“The Steelers have an odd obsession with NFL bloodlines. The son of Jerry Rice would continue that trend. If he’s still there in the fourth, when Pittsburgh has two picks, keep an eye out for this one.”
As of now, prior to any combine testing, the younger Rice is projected to be a third or fourth round pick in 2024. Brenden stands at 6’3, and is a strong vertical threat. He was the second leading receiver for USC in 2023, as he hauled in 45 receptions for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns. For the past two seasons, Brenden has caught balls from the consensus first overall pick, Caleb Williams.
Brenden started his college career at Colorado, and played there for the 2020 and 2021 college football seasons. He transferred to USC ahead of the 2022 season, which is the same time Williams decided to suit up for the Trojans. During his time with USC, he started in 23 out of the 25 games he played in, and had a total of 1,255 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Brenden obviously has a long way to go if he plans on catching his father, Jerry. Jerry was a first round pick back in 1985, which was the start of legendary professional football career. Jerry is widely considered the best receiver to ever play the game of football. He currently holds the NFL records for the most receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and receptions in the history of the league. He was named to an All-Pro team 11 times in his career, and was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2010 which was his first year of eligibility.
The Steelers tend to fall in love with prospects that come from strong NFL families. The team’s best player currently is TJ Watt, who is the brother of future Hall Of Famer JJ Watt. Another fixture on the defense is Cam Heyward, who is the son of Craig Heyward, who was a Pro Bowl fullback that played in the NFL for 10 years. Of course the most recent example of this is Porter Jr., who was a Defensive Rookie Of The Year finalist for his performance during the 2023 season.
The Steelers have plenty of needs in the upcoming draft. There is no guarantee the organization has their sights set on selecting Brenden. However, if there is one thing that’s certain about the Steelers organization, it is that history tends to repeat itself. It would be no surprise to see the Steelers use a third or fourth round pick on the son of the best receiver to ever play the game.
