Strengths

• Plays fast, flows with the action, showing smooth lateral agility and short-area burst. Has good instincts and awareness to quickly find the ball.
• Good key and diagnosis skills. Quickly locates the ball and shows no wasted motion in getting there. At least adequate lateral agility to avoid blockers and shows good vision and anticipation.
• A bit stiff but makes the clean open-field tackle. Good effort in pursuit.
• Quick to read run, showing good agility and speed to get past blockers and finish. Experienced in coverage and gets a strong jam on outside receivers.
• Tougher between the tackles than many expect. Fluid and quick drop into zone, covers enough ground to be Tampa-2 "MIKE" and knows where the markers are.

Weaknesses

• Has inconsistent read/react skills with streaky awareness when asked to drop in coverage. Is like a bull in a China shop with his aggressive style of play, causing him to play undisciplined and overpursue.
• Easily washed out of plays and loses track of the ball. Runs around blocks and struggles to break away once blockers have a hold on him.
• Lacks functional strength to shed and take on blocks at the point of attack.
• Saught looking into the backfield occasionally instead of getting to the receiver in the flat. Leaves his feet at times while tackling, and NFL backs will take advantage of that.
• Attacks the line but needs work on stacking and shedding blocks.

Emmett Rice percentiles vs other Linebacker's (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)