Spencer Rattler NFL Draft projection: Insider notes on South Carolina QB's real potential

Kentucky South Carolina Football
Spencer Rattler NFL Draft projection

To the surprise of no one, Spencer Rattler, the one-time phenom whose college career took off as a redshirt freshman at Oklahoma, announced that he’s entering the 2024 NFL Draft.

So where will Rattler end up next April after such an up and down career in college? Let’s take a look.


Revisiting Spencer Rattler’s roller coaster college career

As a redshirt freshman at Oklahoma in 2020, Spencer Rattler set the college football world and scouting community on fire. Completing 67.5% of his throws, Rattler also had 3031 passing yards and 28 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.

Expectations were off the charts the next season. Many expected Rattler to be a contender for the Heisman Trophy and possibly lead Oklahoma to a national title and end up a top-five pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. None of it came to fruition, though.

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From the get go, there were problems for Rattler, who could never get the Sooner offense going and made a lot of untimely errors. The redshirt sophomore struggled in the first game of the season against Tulane as Oklahoma prevailed 40-35.

Razor-thin victories over inferior squads like Nebraska, West Virginia then Kansas State and uninspired play against the Texas Longhorns eventually led to Rattler being benched in favor of another freshman phenom - Caleb Williams.

Rattler ended the 2021 season with just 1483 yards passing, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions before transferring to South Carolina.


Spencer Rattler’s resurgence at South Carolina flashed his potential

Spencer Rattler, South Carolina QB
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina QB

Over the past two seasons, Rattler flashed the brilliance he displayed early in his career, yet there has been very little consistency and a lot of mistakes.

While he has thrown for more than 3000 yards in the last two seasons, his touchdown to interception ratio stands at 37-to-20, something scouts are concerned about.

Spencer Rattler has flashed his ability as a deep passer in recent seasons. However, he has often late with his throws, has receivers adjusting for passes and all too often throws the ball into coverage.

The QB’s inability to read opposing defenses or find players in the secondary consistently has led to a lot of turnovers and missed opportunities for the South Carolina offense.

Rattler throws for a high completion percentage, 68.5%, over five years in college, but the ability to consistently place passes properly has been a concern. Even when Rattler delivers a great performance, he follows it up with a stinker.

Last year, after dominating a good Tennessee squad with 438 passing yards and six touchdowns, he threw two picks against Clemson. This year, Rattler started off hot passing for 353 yards against North Carolina only to complete just 52% of his throws against Georgia for 252 yards and two interceptions two weeks later.


How high will Spencer Rattler go in the 2024 NFL Draft?

South Carolina's Spencer Rattler prepares for Clemson matchup
South Carolina's Spencer Rattler prepares for Clemson matchup

Entering the season scouts gave Rattler a mid fifth-round grade, and he’s definitely not a better player this season compared to 2022. So where does he end up in a draft that’s incredibly deep at the quarterback position?

Right now, I’ll give Spencer Rattler a seventh-round grade. That grade could change depending on his performance at a postseason All Star game like the Senior Bowl or Shrine Bowl.

The irony of this entire saga? As Rattler has watched the bottom drop out from his draft stock the last three seasons, the quarterback who replaced him at Oklahoma in 2021 - Caleb Williams - is poised to be the first player selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Edited by Tony Pauline
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