Chiefs move up in Round 2 to draft Rashee Rice, re-stock WR room

The Kansas City Chiefs selected SMU wide receiver Rashee Rice in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 55th overall.

The Chiefs obtained the No. 55 pick and a sixth-round selection from the Detroit Lions in exchange for three picks.

Kansas City used its first-round selection on edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

Rice - who caught a career-high 96 passes for 1,355 yards and 10 touchdowns last year - joins a Kansas City depth chart that lost wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency. The Chiefs roster wideouts Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, and Skyy Moore, as well as All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.

Pre-draft profile

Rice might not be the most exciting prospect, but he has a high floor and comes equipped with the arsenal of talents needed to carve a nice role in the NFL. The bread and butter of his game is his consistency at coming down with the football. His insane 41-inch vertical only helps his ability to win one-on-one situations. His yards-after-the-catch generation is nothing to skip over, either, especially for his size. There are concerns over if he'll be able to separate while route running, and his releases leave a lot to be desired. Fumbles also popped up on occasion. How much ceiling there is in Rice's package will come down to whether he can add to his profile at the next level.