SEC Football Way-Too-Early 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler

Spencer Rattler. Just uttering the name of the new South Carolina QB elicits a wide variety of opinions and emotions from SEC Football fans.

Rewind one year ago…Spencer Rattler was not only being hailed as potentially the top quarterback in college football, but many were placing him at the top of the 2022 NFL Draft class.

The tires fell off the Oklahoma Sooners 2021 season, and Spencer Rattler was benched in favor of freshman phenom Caleb Williams.

Spencer Rattler entered the transfer portal and is now looking for a fresh start in the SEC as he leads the South Carolina offense. Can Spencer Rattler rebound? Is the 1st round still a realistic possibility? We put the fascinating, polarizing Spencer Rattler under the microscope.

SEC Football Way-Too-Early 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler

Positives:

Anyone who has seen Spencer Rattler play will tell you, Rattler has an absolute hose. The ball zips out of his right hand with a velocity and through a wide array of arm angles unrivaled in the college game. There is a reason Spencer Rattler received ‘Patrick Mahomes’ comparisons leading up to the 2021 season.

Spencer Rattler can make every throw in the book. Rattler can stretch a defense unlike anyone else in SEC Football.

Many pundits will have you believe that Spencer Rattler is an erratic passer. Most of this is based on reputation than fact. What if I told you that Rattler completed 75% of his passes last season? Would you believe me based on what you have heard?

Negatives:

Spencer Rattler is his own worst enemy. Spencer Rattler will attempt to make the gunslinger type of throw when the prudent decision or progression is elsewhere. Rattler needs to learn to avoid the back-breaking poor decision.

Due to his overwhelming talent, Spencer Rattler has never been developed properly. Rattler has poor mechanics and fundamentals. Spencer Rattler needs to be reworked from the ground up when it comes to footwork and going through a proper progression from the pocket.

Spencer Rattler senses pressure where there is none. Rather than stepping up in the pocket and making the throw with the defense in his face, he tends to fade or escape non-existent pressure.

Spencer Rattler will face off-the-field and attitude questions for the remainder of his college football career. How he holds up to those questions and deals with the intense pressure of SEC Football will be telling.

Overall:

Spencer Rattler is the most polarizing college football player in recent memory, and it’s not hard to see why.

Spencer Rattler is immensely talented. Even in a loaded QB class, Spencer Rattler, based on talent alone, might be the cream of the crop.

Spencer Rattler has a second chance to make an impression on NFL Draft evaluators. Evaluators would be wise to keep an open mind heading into the 2022 season and not close the book on Spencer Rattler.

While I would like to say I have a good feel for Spencer Rattler’s draft stock, that would be a lie. The wide range of possibilities is endless. Rattler could rebuild and show the promise we all know exists and could be an early 1st round pick. Rattler could also falter and end up undrafted. I can’t wait to see how the Spencer Rattler story plays out as we move toward the 2023 NFL Draft.