"The gameplan today is to get an SMU wideout."
Always had our eye on @RiceRashee11 🍚 pic.twitter.com/9qc10F9kBb
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 30, 2023
When the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to select SMU WR Rashee Rice in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft, there were a few obvious connections. One of those connections was pairing Rice with his former SMU teammate Shane Buechele. Another was giving Patrick Mahomes a Texas native to throw to at the wide receiver position — one that already worked with Mahomes down in Dallas.
One of the connections that might get overlooked is that Clark Hunt and his family have strong ties to SMU. They’re the alma mater of practically every member of the Hunt family who is involved with the Chiefs organization.
That relationship was front and center when Rice got the call that he was coming to Kansas City.
“Mr. Hunt asked me today what the game plan was, and I said, ‘The game plan today is to get an SMU wideout,” Chiefs GM Brett Veach declared
“Well, I’m excited to have a fellow Mustang as a Chief as well,” Hunt told Rice. “I had the pleasure of getting to watch you play a bunch of games here over the last couple of years. You were fantastic and I looked forward to seeing that here in Kansas City when you get here.”
It’s hard to tell just how much Rice being a Mustang played a role here, but it certainly didn’t hurt his case with the club. His response and excitement over the entire situation were palpable.
“Let’s do this,” Rice said. “Let’s go win another one. I’m so excited, oh my god!”
