The San Francisco 49ers have made a decision that will ignite talk of them picking the son of arguably the greatest player to ever represent the franchise in the 2024 NFL Draft.
San Francisco, per Justin Melo of The Draft Network, is set to host a top-30 visit with USC wide receiver Brenden Rice, son of Hall of Famer and the most decorated receiver of all time, Jerry Rice.
On the surface, that the visit is happening might not seem to be such a big deal.
Teams frequently meet with prospects they do not end up drafting. Often such visits are nothing more than potential homework for when that player becomes a free agent or is available on the trade market.
But, with the 49ers, it is worth viewing as significant. Under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, the 49ers have spent 18 picks on players with whom they held a top-30 visit.
That number excludes the 2020 and 2021 drafts, when the COVID-19 pandemic restricted in-person visits, but they drafted five players with whom they met virtually, including Brandon Aiyuk, Trey Lance and Deommodore Lenoir, across those drafts.
So their meeting with Rice might be more than just a nice feel-good story. The visit indicates the 49ers have looked at the son of the best to ever play the position and viewed his skill set as one that would fit well with their offense.
Jerry Rice has no shortage of incredible achievements on which to reflect, but seeing his son drafted by the 49ers would surely be a dream come true.
There are no shortage of Rice throwback jerseys on display on gameday at Levi's Stadium. Given the 49ers' history with top-30 visits, that famous family name could soon become extremely relevant to their present-day hopes of Super Bowl triumph.
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