Spencer Rattler Draft Profile | South Carolina, QB Scouting Report

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler had a unique journey through the college football landscape. After the conclusion of his fifth season, what does Rattler’s 2024 NFL Draft scouting report look like? Did he revitalize his stock in his final campaign?

Spencer Rattler Draft Profile and Measurements

• Height: 6’1″
• Weight: 218 pounds
• Position: Quarterback
• School: South Carolina
• Current Year: Redshirt Senior

Rattler was a star before he ever stepped foot on campus in Norman, Oklahoma. The Class of 2019’s unanimous QB1 was the centerpiece of Season 3 of the Netflix series QB1. And though he appeared over-confident at times, Rattler’s talent warranted that kind of confidence.

As a redshirt freshman at OU, it appeared Rattler was poised to maintain his status as the best quarterback of his recruiting class. Despite leading the Sooners to a 5-0 record as a starter to begin the 2021 season, however, he was eventually benched for Caleb Williams.

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In 2022, Rattler transferred to South Carolina, reuniting with former Oklahoma assistant head coach and tight ends coach Shane Beamer. And in two years with the Gamecocks, Rattler completed 539 of 798 attempts (67.5%) for 6,212 yards, 37 scores, and 20 picks.

The inconsistency that plagued Rattler at Oklahoma never quite left his game, and he never rose back to the Round 1 projections that many assigned to him ahead of 2021.

Nonetheless, Rattler quietly matured and developed as a passer in his two years at South Carolina, earning a Senior Bowl invite in the process, and he’s a compelling 2024 NFL Draft prospect as a result.

Spencer Rattler Scouting Report

Strengths

• Has near-elite composite arm talent, with high-end arm strength and angle freedom.
• Can generate ample velocity with a flick of his wrist and drive outside the numbers.
• Possesses a lightning-quick release and can torque his hips instantly on his drop-back.
• With his arm elasticity, layers pace and touch on throws and keeps pace off-platform.
• Can adjust his release point to arc throws into tight buckets while keeping velocity.
• Solid creator with springy short-area agility, change-of-direction, and evasion ability.
• Smooth off-platform thrower who can keep his shoulders level and adjust arm angles.
• Has the corrective mechanical twitch to snap into phase with his feet ahead of releases.
• Synergetic rotational passer with good mechanical congruence and control.
• Generally accurate QB who can effectively lead short and intermediate WRs for RAC.
• Has the poise to stand in the pocket and rifle passes to the middle with pressure coming.
• Able to keep his eyes up on the scramble drill and quickly trigger on open receivers.
• Has shown to progress through reads and anticipate route breaks in succession.
• Can accurately process WR leverage on the boundary and throw his receivers open.
• Has generally good discretion and checkdown awareness as a decision-maker.

Weaknesses

• Is a smooth and nimble short-area mover but doesn’t have elite burst or speed.
• Doesn’t have the raw creation ability to be a consistent rushing threat in an offense.
• Sometimes bails clean pockets a bit prematurely, inviting chaos in off-script situations.
• Undisciplined pocket habits show up at times, drifting back too far against the rush.
• Tendency to retreat backward can stall out velocity drive and elevation downfield.
• Sometimes fails to place intermediate and seam passes to receiver leverage.
• Conversely, sometimes drifts into the line and limits his space to evade the rush.
• Sometimes commits to congested lanes when trying to evade, working into a corner.
• Is occasionally late to sense backside pressure and has an inconsistent internal clock.
• Will at times force throws to covered receivers when encountering interior pressure.
• Could do a better job of leading his eyes with his feet to quicken response time.
• Field vision can run hot and cold, causing missed windows and hesitation.
• Will turn 24 years old in September of his rookie season.

Current Draft Projection and Summary

Rattler grades out as an early Day 3 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he could feasibly rise into Day 2 range with a good offseason. He profiles as a developmental QB with backup utility early in his career, but Rattler has the physical tools to potentially grow into a starter.

As one would expect from a once highly touted recruit, Rattler has near-elite arm talent, concocted from a blend of hefty arm strength and diverse angle freedom. He’s a smooth off-platform thrower but also a sound mechanical QB inside the pocket, with good baseline accuracy.

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Also visible on Rattler’s tape are glimpses of promise as a processor. He has the capacity to progress from read to read, as well as react quickly to stimulus after landing on successive reads. He can also place throws to WR leverage, leading receivers for RAC.

Ultimately, the only thing keeping Rattler from locking in early-round capital is a lack of elite operational consistency. His situational precision can improve at times. His pocket habits can be unpredictable, and he’ll sometimes force poor decisions under pressure.

Nevertheless, Rattler is a very capable creator with the arm talent to elongate throwing windows and drive passes to places that only his WR can reach. By all accounts, he’s matured over the course of his football career, and his growth in 2023 does bring some optimism.

In the meantime, Rattler has value as a quality backup with the physical traits and operational floor to withstand adversity and command an offense in spurts. If he can compound his growth from 2023 in the years to come, Rattler has the tools to develop into an NFL starter.

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