The NFLPA has announced its Rookie Premiere Class of 2023 and for the third consecutive year, a wide receiver from the Kansas City Chiefs has been selected.
The team’s second-round draft pick, SMU WR Rashee Rice, was the lone Chiefs player selected among the 45 new rookie premiere members. He follows Skyy Moore (2022), Cornell Powell (2021), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (2020) and Mecole Hardman (2019), who were all previous selections by the NFLPA.
This event, which takes place in Los Angles from May 18-21, serves as a jumping-off point for rookies to learn about marketing, endorsements and managing their brands. The players selected for the Rookie Premiere Class of 2023 will get an opportunity to work together with a number of NFL brand partners, such as Panini America, Fanatics, EA Sports, Sleep Number, Oakley, Funko and more.
The NFL Players Association invited 45 players to its annual NFL Players Rookie Premiere event May 18-21 in L.A.
The full list, from an NFL Management Council memo to clubs: pic.twitter.com/L5S63owkkX
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 4, 2023
Players chosen for this event are selected based on the position they play, draft status, college performance and projected marketability. Offensive players tend to get preference during this event, which is why you won’t see Chiefs’ first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah attending. Only three of the 45 players selected this year actually play on the defensive side of the ball. They tend to select lots of WRs, RBs and QBs.
NFLPA’s Rookie Premiere will allow Rice will get an opportunity to learn some valuable skills that should help him manage his career off the gridiron. That’ll prove important should his career begin to flourish right away in Kansas City.
