2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler

From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler.

#1 Spencer Rattler/QB South Carolina – 6002, 211 lbs. (Senior)

Senior Bowl

MEASUREMENTS

The Good

– Good hand size for frame and meets weight threshold
– Strong short and intermediate thrower
– Overall, plus ball placement to all levels of the field, able to put passes away from defender and on the correct shoulder
– Displays touch on throws that require it
– Tough, stands tall in the pocket, will take a shot and deliver a throw
– Capable of scanning the field and going through his reads with eyes and feet staying connected
– Athletic and mobile, extends plays with his legs, can scramble to keep play alive or rush for yards, naturally athletic
– Plays with an edge and aggressive demeanor
– Does great job of keeping his eyes downfield as he runs behind the LOS, isn’t quick to duck his head and run
– Accurate, on-time thrower from the near hash
– Fluid and compact throwing motion
– Experience playing under center
– Good rhythm thrower against zone coverage
– Progressed statistically throughout his career

The Bad

– Slighter frame and short, height is borderline benchmark for the position
– Lacks huge arm talent and tends to push the ball more than he drives it, doesn’t have zip to make difficult downfield throws
– Has difficulty consistently making far hash throws, allowing defenders to jump routes
– Base gets narrow and is too upright in the pocket
– Deep ball can float and hang
– Tendency to bail on clean pockets when nothing’s there and will roll to his right, even if there’s no receivers in the area, not as comfortable scrambling left
– Takes too many downfield chances and risky throws, leading to interceptions/near-interceptions
– Struggled in some end-game situations
– Won’t see underneath zone defenders, can develop tunnel vision, leading to interceptions
– Tendency to be late on out-breaking/curl routes
– Doesn’t have elite open field speed as a runner
– Older than ideal for a prospect

Bio

– 42 career college starts
– Turns 24 in September of 2024
– Career: 1,313 attempts (68.5 completion percentage), 10,807 yards (8.2 YPA) 77 TDs, 32 INTs, 16 rushing scores, one catch for 15 yards
– Spent 2019-2021 at Oklahoma, transferred to South Carolina for 2022-2023 seasons
– 2023: 68.9 percent completion rate, 3,186 yards (8.0 YPA) 19 TDs, 8 INTs, 4 rushing scores, team went 5-7 (8-5 in 2022)
– Threw just 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions in four road games in 2023 (0-4 in those games)
– Five-star recruit from Phoenix, Arizona, chose Oklahoma over Alabama, Miami (FL), and Notre Dame among numerous other schools, considered classes’ No. 1 quarterback prospect ahead of Jayden Daniels
– Benched for Caleb Williams mid-way through 2021 at Oklahoma, followed Shane Beamer (Sooners’ Assistant Head Coach) to South Carolina when Beamer became head coach
– Two-time team captain at South Carolina
– Won/co-won team MVP Award in 2022 and 2023
– Threw for over 11,000 yards and 116 touchdowns in high school career, started as a freshman after starter quit team mid-summer
– 2024 Senior Bowl MVP
– Appeared on Netflix Series QB1: Beyond The Lights in high school, suspended from football team in October of senior year for code of conduct violation but wasn’t suspended from school (reason unclear – initially told reporters he injured his MCL which was later proven untrue)
– Has worked with QB Coach Mike Giovando since the 5th grade
– Star high school basketball player, teammates with No. 1 basketball recruit Nico Mannion to win 2017-2018 state title game, averaging 13.6 PPG and 1.9 steals per game (two quick highlights), didn’t play senior year to focus on football
– Once played a high school football game with a broken hand
– Loves playing golf and grilling steaks

Tape Breakdown

Spencer Rattler was the top recruit out of high school, and though his college career was bumpier than he expected, it was still a good one. Overall, Rattler’s accuracy is among his best traits. His ball placement and consistency stands out, especially in the short and intermediate game. He doesn’t miss many gimmies and can put the ball on the correct shoulder where only his receiver can get it.

While mobile and athletic, he doesn’t use his legs as a crutch. Rattler’s ability to keep his eyes downfield while on the move separates him from many other prospects and allows him to find outlets at the last minute.

I like the touch he displays on his throws. He’s also a tough customer. Rattler will stand tall in the pocket and deliver, even with interior pressure bearing down on him. A couple examples of that here. You can also see examples of his receivers dropping passes, who didn’t always help him out in college.

Not having great size, Rattler’s arm is also just OK. With college football’s wide hashes, he struggled to make far hash throws, the ball dying at the end and not getting to his target in time. It allowed safeties to drive and make plays on the football. He’s accurate, but the zip on his throws isn’t there. It’s an issue deep downfield on the far hash and over the middle in contested coverage. The last example isn’t from the far hash, but the ball gets picked as his deep pass hangs.

Rattler’s also prone to missing zone defenders underneath. He had three terrible picks in 2022 against Clemson, not seeing underneath defenders and paying the price for it. Overall, he goes through his progressions and can see the whole field, but he will get locked onto a target and miss zone droppers around it. A tendency to pre-determine his throw was a big problem on all three picks in this game.

While I didn’t include this in the negative section because it’s hard to say concretely from a 30,000-foot view, there are many who didn’t like Rattler’s personality. While his high school football suspension appears minor in the grand scheme of things, he developed a reputation of being cocky and not well-liked on campus. How true is it? Difficult to say, but it’s something teams will need to do homework on, though it’s important to note Rattler is “clean” off the field with no known college incidents or legal issues.

Conclusion

Overall, Rattler works well in the short to intermediate game. He’s accurate, athletic, tough and productive in the SEC. The lack of a big arm will hurt him but isn’t a deal-breaker in the right system. Horizontal/West Coast schemes will be his best NFL home, and so long as he’s a good teammate who shows he can lead, there’s starter potential. Baker Mayfield is an easy comp from a size/athleticism/personality standpoint, though Rattler is a bit more accurate. Overall, that’s the first and still the best name I can compare him to with all his highs and lows.

Projection: Mid-Late Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.9 – Potential Starter/Quality Backup (3rd Round)
Games Watched: vs West Virginia (2021 – Oklahoma), at Clemson (2022), at Georgia (2023), vs Florida (2023)