The offseason is officially in the rearview as the Kansas City Chiefs move forward with the start of training camp. Rookies and a few veterans looking for early prep work are at the facility at Missouri Western State University campus in St. Joseph, Missouri, with most of this year’s draft class speaking with reporters.
Chiefs second-round selection Rashee Rice is expected to compete for time on the field this season and make an impact within the offense. Rice was notably a topic of discussion during the draft for seemingly being handpicked by Patrick Mahomes after working out together at the start of the offseason.
Rice opened up about his workouts and reconnecting with fellow SMU alumnus Shane Buechele while speaking with the media on Wednesday.
“During the summer, or a little break, I was meeting with Shane Buechele,” said Rice. “Every day, every morning, just run around saying like kinda basically putting the ball on each hash, so we can basically work our own kind of two-minute drill, so I could be in shape, prepare for this.”
Buechele and Rice were teammates briefly at SMU and they’ve now reunited in Kansas City. These workouts together over the past several weeks provided Rice with some extra details about working with Mahomes.
“Not necessarily what to expect, but he just kind of taught me about, like, what was going through Pat’s (Patrick Mahomes) mind as far as me running a play,” said Rice. “And what he’s looking at, as far as you know, how the defense is moving and where he wanted me to be on a certain play.”
Mahomes has a depth chart full of young and hungry receivers looking to make their mark on the team and lead them back to another Super Bowl. Rice is starting his NFL journey, but should still see plenty of opportunities if he meshes well with the reigning league MVP. He’s already well on his way, securing his first touchdown of training camp during 7-on-7 drills on Wednesday.
