KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs closed out their mandatory minicamp on Thursday by agreeing to terms with the final unsigned member of their 2023 draft class while also adding another receiver to the fold
The club officially signed second-round draft choice Rashee Rice. Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed. Rice is the final member of the team’s 2023 draft choices to agree to terms on a rookie contract.
The Chiefs also inked another receiver on Thursday with the addition of free agent Kekoa Crawford. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent from California in 2022, initially signed with the Indianapolis Colts. Crawford bulked up during the offseason and returned to Berkley to test in front of scouts in March. The 25-year-old posted times of 4.42 and 4.44 in the 40-yard dash while standing in at 6-foot-1, 201 pounds. That’s nearly 10 pounds heavier than when he ran a 4.49 at the 2022 NFL Combine.
Crawford started his college career at Michigan before transferring to California, where he caught 75 passes for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns in parts of three seasons.
He initially participated in the Chiefs’ rookie minicamp last month on a tryout basis and returned for another look during this week’s mandatory minicamp. Crawford stood out on Wednesday with a couple of nice catches on throws from backup quarterback Shane Buechele including a touchdown grab in the red zone during full team drills.
The Chiefs currently have 91 players on the roster, which includes a roster exemption for international player Chukwuebuka (Jason) Godrick, an offensive lineman from Nigeria. Rice already counted against the 90-player roster. The club did not immediately announce a corresponding to clear space for Crawford.
The club also hosted free agent running back Darrell Henderson Jr. on a tryout basis during the minicamp.
Rice’s signing closes out a prolonged negotiation for the No. 55 overall selection in this year’s draft. Second-round choices this season have proven notoriously slow to sign. Entering Thursday, only 12 of the 32 selections in the second round had signed deals with their clubs. Seven of those signings marked the last seven choices in the round, all later than Rice. None of the 13 players selected immediately ahead of Rice have signed yet, nor has cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, who was selected by Chicago immediately following Rice.
