They say you are your own worst critic, but in Brenden Rice's case, it might be his Hall of Fame father.
Jerry Rice was in Indianapolis over the weekend watching his son at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, and the 49ers legendary wide receiver quickly flipped the switch from dad to coach while evaluating Brenden's route running.
“He’s got to drag that back foot,” Rice said as laughs broke out from the rest of the NFL Network crew, which included Michael Irvin, Kurt Warner and Steve Smith.
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Brenden declared for the 2024 NFL Draft after a solid college career at the University of Colorado and USC, in which he combined for 111 passes for 1,821 yards and 21 touchdowns in four seasons.
The 6-foot-3 receiver ran the 40-yard-dash at the combine on Saturday and put up an impressive time of 4.51 seconds. He then put his speed and hands to the test by running routes with his father -- and the rest of the arena -- watching. He secured an incredible shoestring catch on the sideline, but apparently, Jerry wasn't as convinced as others were, teasing his son for not dragging his foot before going out of bounds.
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Jokes aside, though, Jerry is just happy for his son and excited to watch him try to take the next step in his career.
"I'm so proud but I think he worked really hard and he's looking forward to his opportunity," Jerry told NFL Network's Jamie Erdahl. "I'm just being a parent, I'm just here to support him and I hear people tell me, 'Don't be so critical,' and stuff like that, but only if he should ask me information is when I would pass that information on to him.
"But I'm just here as a parent. It's going to be a great opportunity for him so I'm excited for him."
When asked if he was nervous, Jerry responded "always" when it comes to his children chasing their dreams.
Whether Brenden's NFL future is with the 49ers or another team, he'll surely lean on his Hall of Fame dad for his advice both on and off the field.
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