Jerry Rice's Daughter Says Edelman Was Great Prom Date, But Dad Was Super Protective!!

Jerry Rice's daughter says Julian Edelman was a great prom date and a lovely boyfriend ... but she tells TMZ Sports her ultra-famous father wasn't so hot on the guy ...

"My dad wasn't always the nicest to him," Jaqui Rice says ... "But, I mean, I guess that's understandable because he's my dad, you know?"

33-year-old Julian grew up in the same Northern California neighborhood as Jerry in the 1990s ... and, turns out, he and the G.O.A.T.'s daughter had a thing for each other.

Jaqui joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airing weeknights on FS1) to explain it all ... and says, "This goes a while back. I've known Julian since we were kids."

"He played Pop Warner football, I was a Pop Warner cheerleader."

Jaqui says she and Julian dated -- and didn't just go to prom together -- but went to several other school dances ... despite not going to the same high school!!

As for how Jerry felt about the young Edelman ... Jaqui says the two didn't always have the most friendly relationship, telling the guys, "I think [Julian] was a little intimidated by my dad growing up."

Good news for everybody? Julian has seemed to have grown on Jerry -- the two attended the Kentucky Derby together back in 2017, and Jerry posted a cool pic with the Patriots star.

As for Jaqui and Julian, their romantic relationship didn't make it much further than high school ...  but she says she still considers Edelman a good friend!

By the way, Jaqui is helping her pops launch a new energy drink called G.O.A.T. FUEL ... and ya gotta hear why she says the stuff is going to change the energy drink game.