Tag: spencer rattler 2024 nfl draft

2024 NFL Draft: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler scouting report

South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler overcame the NCAA’s worst protection in 2023 to avail himself as a starting NFL prospect in the right offense.

A consensus five-star recruit out of Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona, Spencer Rattler was the No. 1 quarterback prospect in 2019, and he chose Oklahoma over just about every other program. He transferred to South Carolina in 2022 after losing the starting job for the Sooners to Caleb Williams in 2021, and after one average season for the Gamecocks, Rattler came around in 2023… or, he came around as much as his offensive line would let him.

With perhaps the NCAA’s worst protection last season, the 6′ 0¼”, 211-pound Rattler still completed 274 of 403 passes for 3,183 yards, 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 99.1.

Evaluating Rattler as an NFL prospect is a bit of a struggle, because South Carolina’s passing game was pretty dysfunctional, but there’s enough on tape to see him as a credible starter in the right offense.

PLUSES

— Operated behind what was likely the NCAA’s worst offensive line and was still responsible for a lot of structured explosive plays.

— Pocket movement is a plus attribute; Rattler is very good at staying in the boxing ring and moving away from pressure. Bailing out of the pocket isn’t his default. He’ll also stand and deliver in the pocket when he’s about to get walloped.

— Natural move quarterback who quickly gets his body turned to the target, which allows him to stay on point with his mechanics and boots and scrambles.

— Has the arm to throw comfortably to all levels of the field. It’s not a Howitzer, but it’s not a weakness, either.

— Unafraid to throw downfield into tight windows, and has the touch and velocity to do so.

— Has a lot on the ball as a runner, both in designed concepts and when things do break down. Forced 15 missed tackles on 28 rushing attempts last season.

MINUSES

— Rattler is more of a “see it and throw it” guy than a true anticipation thrower; you’d like to see more instances where he throws his target open.

— Most of Rattler’s pressures and sacks were on his line, but if he could speed up his internal clock just a hair, it would help.

— Has stretches of “Bad Russell Wilson” where he’ll just hold onto the ball, and you’re yelling at the screen for him to get the dang thing out.

— Has a tendency to throw interceptions that are more “WTF” throws by Rattler than specifically heroic efforts by the defenders. His downfield vision aligns with his throw timing and can be a tick late.

There is a rogue element to Rattler’s play that very much brings Baker Mayfield to mind, and it would likely be more effective behind an offensive line that wasn’t actively participating in his demise. If you’re stuck in the group that has him as a third-day pick, I get it, but the more you watch him, the more you tend to like him and his NFL potential.

2024 NFL Draft: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler details his favorite college play

In this new video series, 2024 NFL draft prospects detail their favorite plays from college. We begin with South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.

In this new series, we asked several draft prospects at the 2024 scouting combine for their favorite plays in college — the ones they’d want to show NFL teams as the play that best represented their attributes, just as they might in meeting with NFL teams.

Let’s begin with South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.

After three seasons at Oklahoma, Rattler moved to South Carolina, had one year of adjustment, and came around in 2023, completing 274 of 403 passes for 3,183 yards, 19 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a passer rating of 99.1. There is a rogue gene in Rattler that his NFL coaches will need to manage, but when asked about his ideal play, he showed that he has it together above the neck.

“Den Dozer Right Strong Cozy 73 Y IHOP Swiss. Just a great play to draw up. It gets really intricate when you break it down. You’ve got your yes-or-no read, an alert to the cornerback, a little pivot route to the backside Cover-2, in-cut, influence read.”

Best version of that?

“Florida week.”

Cool. The closest example I could find in the Florida game was Rattler’s 24-yard pass to O’Mega Blake with 10:33 left in the fourth quarter. Blake hit the in-cut front-side against Florida’s Cover-3, the yes-or-no read was the go/flat, and the alert to the cornerback was which route he took to that side. There’s not every element here — it’s not Cover-2, for example — but it’s a nice insight into everything a quarterback has to read right away.

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Rattler’s aforementioned rogue tendencies will make some NFL teams shake their heads, but he’s got enough on the ball on tape to become a highly interesting middle-round prospect with spot-starter potential. One thing’s for sure — he’ll have a better offensive line in the NFL, because it would be nearly impossible to replicate the futility of South Carolina’s front five in 2023. Rattler was pressured on 186 of his 491 dropbacks last season (37.9%), and he still managed to complete 57 of 121 passes under pressure for 855 yards, five touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 67.3.

As much as Rattler does have rogue tendencies, evaluating him without pressure does remove some of those.