NFL Draft In today's current landscape of the NFL, would Jerry Rice be the number one overall pick? (College Version of Rice) (1 Viewer)

[DerrickB]

So are drafting the college Rice or the NFL HoF Rice?

College

 

[St. Widge]

Nah, his combine #'s wouldn't scream Top selectoin. Several other WR's would go ahead of him, and then he'd be picked somewhere in Justin Jefferson range and outplay them all.

This was my assumption about the nature of the question. Would Jerry Rice coming out of college have been the #1 pick in today's NFL.? He went #16 the year he was drafted and given how teams now spend time looking at smaller school prospects he might have gone a bit higher coming from Mississippi Valley State, but his combine numbers were not particularly stand out so he wouldn't go #1. He ran a 4.71. But guys like Rice are why the draft is so hard. You never know how a guys skills will translate to the NFL and more, importantly, you don't know how hard a guy will work when he gets to the NFL. Rice's work ethic at honing his craft and getting in amazing shape is what made him so great.

 

[St. Geezy]

Jerry is the greatest football player of all-time in my eyes, with Tom Brady being his only other peer.

That being said, I don’t think there is any way any team takes a WR from Mississippi Valley State that ran a 4.71 #1 overall.

 

[SystemShock]

So let's think about this...

Jerry Rice may be considered the GOAT because he played for 20 seasons and accumulated a gazillion TDs and yards, but, after the 1996 season, he wasn't that great.. very much average. He greatly benefitted from playing in the Bill Walsh offense, surrounded by HoF's.

Rice ran a 4.68 40 (IIRC). In today's NFL, that would be just too damn slow for a WR.

To have a great WR, you at least need an above average QB. Teams picking in the first spots don't usually have one.

In today's NFL, I wouldn't pick them in the 1st round, much less the 1st overall.

 

[longtime lurker]

Can we get his calls also?!?

 

[Mamba]

but, after the 1996 season, he wasn't that great.. very much average.

I’ll leave your larger point alone, but I have to object to this quoted portion.

Three 1,100+ yard seasons between ‘98-‘02. In that era, that was quite impressive. Particularly for a WR playing at the age of 36-40.

 

[SigFreudianSlip]

Nope. And since this team puts so much emphasis on RAS bs he wouldn't even be allowed in the building in New Orleans.

And Rice is the goat imo. Followed by Moss.

 

[texasjefe]

First of all, Jerry Rice was drafted at 1.16 in 1985. The 49ers scouted him and took the chance. They were turning over their receivers... the Freddie Solomon - Dwight Clark duo was wrapping up.

If you look at the 1985 draft, you see that the top of the draft class was terrible. So, in these times, if the big board was as paltry in its position prospects, Rice could surely go in the 1st round.

Now, with this year's big board loaded with receivers, I could see Rice getting drafted by the 2nd round.

In the 1985 draft, you find Eric Martin in Rd 8 and Andre Reed in Rd. 4

The key though is the brilliance of Bill Walsh and his staff scouting him, and drafting him. That's a huge factor here. Who right now is best at amassing picks and evaluating talent? Lynch and Roseman in my view.

 

[jahsoul357]

So let's think about this...

Jerry Rice may be considered the GOAT because he played for 20 seasons and accumulated a gazillion TDs and yards, but, after the 1996 season, he wasn't that great.. very much average. He greatly benefitted from playing in the Bill Walsh offense, surrounded by HoF's.

Rice ran a 4.68 40 (IIRC). In today's NFL, that would be just too damn slow for a WR.

To have a great WR, you at least need an above average QB. Teams picking in the first spots don't usually have one.

In today's NFL, I wouldn't pick them in the 1st round, much less the 1st overall.

Jerry Rice put up 1200 yards at 40 years old. That GOAT status ain't there because the accumulation of yards and TD over 2020. It's because what he consistently did throughout his career. He was consistent with Montana, Young, Garcia, and Gannon.

And his 40 time doesn't really mean much considering his off the line release and route running easily made up for what some thought was a lack of speed, even though he would blow past people all the time...lol

A great WR can make an average QB look great and a great QB can make an average WR look great. It works both ways. The fact that Rice performed with every QB tells me all that I need to know. Crap, if we are being honest, some of the QBs that we consider best in the league ain't really elevating their receivers like that, but I digress.

 

[SystemShock]

Jerry Rice put up 1200 yards at 40 years old. That GOAT status ain't there because the accumulation of yards and TD over 2020. It's because what he consistently did throughout his career. He was consistent with Montana, Young, Garcia, and Gannon.

I’ll leave your larger point alone, but I have to object to this quoted portion.

Three 1,100+ yard seasons between ‘98-‘02. In that era, that was quite impressive. Particularly for a WR playing at the age of 36-40.

Without counting 1997 since Rice only played 2 games, his last 7 seasons, Rice averaged 808 yards, 6.4 TDs, and around 55% catch rates.

I don't believe in GOATs. The closest I come to accept a GOAT, is Wayne Gretzky.

 

[Mamba]

Without counting 1997 since Rice only played 2 games, his last 7 seasons, Rice averaged 808 yards, 6.4 TDs, and around 55% catch rates.

The two seasons at age 41 & 42 skew things considerably. But again, his play between ages 36-40 is unprecedented. Putting up 1,200+ yds at age 40 is superhuman. No need to triple down on this one.

 

[Saintman2884]

Are you nuts? Jerry Rice is the G.O.A.T.
Bizarre question.

He's referencing if a Jerry Rice-esque all-world college WR playing at some obscure, lesser-known HBCU university in today's media-obsessed, social media-driven college and NFL world today would go as unnoticed or under-the-radar as he did 40 years ago coming out of Mississippi Valley St.?

Truth is, Jerry Rice back then and those of his skill sets are rare, freakish anomalies that if he were to come out of HS today, a 4-5 star WR would probably be recruited by an SEC team like Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, maybe Auburn or LSU, possibly Clemson, Florida State, or some Big 10 schools like Ohio State, Michigan. He wouldn't go unnoticed in the massive, overly-detailed, specifics-laden college and NFL scouting departments exercise today.

A player like Rice's skill set or of similar-like player would also go #1 overall, or at the very least, the top 5. He wouldn't fall down in the first round and a team like the 49ers that won the Super Bowl the year before (Super Bowl XIX), wouldn't be able to draft him. The only NFL HC's who had a strong grasp of just how much potential Rice actually had was Sam Wyche of the Cincinnati Bengals and Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers, who began drawing up plays involving Rice before he was even drafted. Walsh first became enamored with Rice's potential during a 1984 road game @ Oilers where he was watching Saturday night college highlights in 49ers team hotel in Houston.

 

[Saintman2884]

Jerry Rice would be lucky to get draft by the 3rd round in today's NFL.
Small school and not great measurables.
The kid who just ran 4.21 would hands down be drafted before Rice. Which really shows how little a 40 time equates to a good football player.

Do you really think a WR of Jerry Rice's caliber would attend or play his college career at a small, obscure HBCU college and not be recruited by a larger, big conference SEC or ACC team like Clemson or Florida State?

 

[jahsoul357]

Without counting 1997 since Rice only played 2 games, his last 7 seasons, Rice averaged 808 yards, 6.4 TDs, and around 55% catch rates.

I don't believe in GOATs. The closest I come to accept a GOAT, is Wayne Gretzky.

Not counting that last season with Seattle (weirdest thing ever), from 1997-2003, he averaged a little over 1k yards and 6.5 TDs a season.

But if we want to look at it "big picture," from the age of 36 to 42, Jerry Rice averaged 808 yards and 6 TDs a season when past that age:
-Larry Fitzgerald, from age 36 and 37, had a grand total of 1213 yards and 5TDs
-Terrell Owens, from age 36 and 37, had a grand total of 1812 yards and 14TDs (because he was still so good, I still have TO 2nd best behind Jerry)
-Randy Moss retired at 35
-Steve Smith, from age 36 and 37, had a grand total of 1469 yards and 8TDs
-So on and so on

Let's put some proper perspective on this. At the age of 40 years old, Jerry Rice was WR1 on a Super Bowl team.

Jerry Rice is the GOAT

The two seasons at age 41 & 42 skew things considerably. But again, his play between ages 36-40 is unprecedented. Putting up 1,200+ yds at age 40 is superhuman. No need to triple down on this one.

How many WRs you know are WR1 at 35 years old, let alone 40. Jerry Rice with those struggle braids was a problem...LOL

 

[tjharris]

Do you really think a WR of Jerry Rice's caliber would attend or play his college career at a small, obscure HBCU college and not be recruited by a larger, big conference SEC or ACC team like Clemson or Florida State?

That's the facts

Mississippi Valley State 81-84