NFL Draft Profile: South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler

Could the Broncos wait until day two to address their quarterback position and take South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler?

One prospect whom the Denver Broncos have shown interest in and could select on day two of the 2024 NFL Draft is former South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler. He is a 6-0, 211-pound quarterback who could be a day-two selection during the draft. The Athletic’s lead draft analyst Dane Brugler has Rattler ranked as his 7th best quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft and has him listed as the 72nd overall player in the draft.

Rattler played a total of five seasons in college, three with Oklahoma and the past two seasons with South Carolina. During his two years at South Carolina, Rattler had 798 passing attempts for 6,212 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. He also rushed the ball 170 times for 150 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. This past season, Rattler had 399 passing attempts for 3,186 yards, 19 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and a 68.9% completion percentage. This earned him an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl where he was arguably the best quarterback there that week and was awarded the Senior Bowl MVP for his performance during the game.

Player Profile

Spencer Rattler | Quarterback | South Carolina

Height: 6-0

Weight: 211 pounds

40-time: 4.95 seconds

Arm Length: 31 inches

Hand Size: 9 7/8th inches

Vertical Jump: 32 inches

Broad Jump: 9’0”

3-Cone Drill: 7.21 seconds

20-Yard Shuttle: 4.37 seconds

Film Room

Scouting Report

Strengths

• Impressive arm talent
• Can make all the throws and do it from different platforms
• Loves to throw the ball deep and was efficient at doing so
• Stands strong in the pocket and isn’t afraid to take a hit
• Has shown he can make multiple reads
• Has the ability to escape the pressure and extend plays
• Has the ability to put touch on the ball when needed and loft it over defenders
• Good mechanics as a passer
• Voted team captain both years at South Carolina and is known to be a hard-worker

Weaknesses

• Has character questions that will be addressed in meetings with teams during the draft process
• Can be reckless with the football and makes some head-scratching mistakes at times
• Slowly goes through his reads and isn’t known to be a quick processor
• His accuracy dips when throwing on the move
• Not overly athletic and may struggle to extend plays consistently in the NFL

Spencer Rattler’s RAS

What other draft analysts are saying about South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler

The Athletic’s lead draft analyst Dane Brugler – Link

A two-year starter at South Carolina, Rattler performed well in offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains’ pass-first, pro-style scheme. After a turbulent three seasons in Norman, he put steady play on film in two seasons with the Gamecocks and set the school record for career completion percentage (67.5 percent), despite inconsistent surroundings (the South Carolina offensive line had a different front-five combination in 10 of 12 games in 2023). With repeatable mechanics and an athletic release, Rattler has NFL-level arm strength plus a natural feel for touch and poise in his process. However, his decision-making and timing must show better consistency (both in structure and out of structure). Overall, Rattler has a methodical play style and needs to be more urgent in his movements/reads, but he has the arm talent, self-confidence, and work habits that give him a fighting chance to work his way up an NFL depth chart. He offers upside at the position, but the interview process will be crucial to his draft grades.

NFL.com’s draft analyst Lance Zierlein – Link

Four-year starter who took more starting snaps at South Carolina than he did at Oklahoma. Rattler will still flash glimpses of what he showed in his 2020 season as a Sooner but fails to consistently sustain the type of play that NFL teams look for. He lacks the desired height for a pocket passer and doesn’t have enough arm strength to beat greedy NFL cover men. He was better than some of his 2023 numbers might indicate, as poor pass-blocking and drop-prone receivers often put him in bad spots. He can scramble and extend plays, but he’s not a dynamic runner and needs optimal protection and separation in order to work in rhythm. He needs an offense that can shrink the field so he can operate quickly and find his rhythm. He has the know-how but might not have the tape or traits to inspire confidence in projecting anything more than a QB2/3.

Does South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler make sense for the Denver Broncos on day two of the 2024 NFL Draft?

If Sean Payton thinks he can bring out the best in Rattler, I can get behind it.

At the end of the day, we need to trust Payton’s evaluation, his system, and his ability to get the best out of a quarterback. With that said, I am not the biggest Spencer Rattler fan. The obvious arm talent is there but outside of that, I do not think he truly fits what Payton looks for in a quarterback. He has said on many occasions that processing is a quality that he looks for in his quarterbacks and Rattler is not known to have that skill. He is slow to go through his reads and is wreckless and turnover-prone with the ball. The fit isn’t there in my opinion, but again, if the Broncos selected him, I would be hopeful that Payton can bring out the best in him.

Rattler is expected to be a day two or early day three selection in the draft. He is coming off a solid draft process that has elevated his stock a bit, but he still could be the 7th quarterback off the board behind the big four, Penix Jr. and Nix. If the Broncos went this route, it would allow them to address other areas of need, potentially trade back, and acquire more draft capital before addressing the quarterback position.

If drafted, Rattler would likely compete with Jarrett Stidham(and probably another veteran) for the starting job. This would not be the most exciting move at the quarterback position but it is a scenario we should discuss.