NFL Draft

2024 NFL Draft: Did the Saints find a future starting quarterback in Spencer Rattler?

The Saints exploited the market in the 2024 NFL Draft by taking Spencer Rattler. Can he become a starting quarterback for them?

Cory Kinnan

Jan 31, 2024; Mobile, AL, USA; American quarterback Spencer Rattler of South Carolina (2) throws the
Jan 31, 2024; Mobile, AL, USA; American quarterback Spencer Rattler of South Carolina (2) throws the / Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Did the Saints find a future starting quarterback in Spencer Rattler?

  1. The tools of Rattler make him a tantalizing risk for the Saints
  2. Should the Saints be worried about his "maturity issues?"
  3. Where I had Rattler ranked among the other quarterbacks in the class
  4. His fit with the Saints makes his projection much shakier

The New Orleans Saints added quarterback Spencer Rattler in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. If you had told someone in 2021 that the former Oklahoma standout would have fallen that far you would have been laughed at.

However, that is what happened after Rattler transferred to South Carolina for the past two seasons. His tape, on the other hand, is quite impressive given the context around him. Playing behind one of the worst offensive lines of any Power Five school, Rattler showed the toughness to hang in murky pockets to deliver some staggering throws.

So did the Saints potentially find a future starting quarterback in the fifth round in the former Oklahoma to South Carolina tranfer? The Daft on Draft Podcast discusses the landing spot of Rattler, what he brings to the NFL, and more. The full audio of the podcast can be found on both Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Here is what was said on the newest Saints' quarterback:

The tools of Rattler make him a tantalizing risk for the Saints

"I think that Spencer Rattler showed immense growth from his time at Oklahoma, really improved his pocket presence, and still has immense arm talent. Like he throws the ball the way that Drake Maye and Caleb Williams do, right? They're the only two who might have more arm talent in this class than Spencer Rattler. So I'm bullish on Rattler, you know?... in terms of projecting him from the college level to the NFL, I think he does a lot of things pretty well. In terms of his deep ball accuracy, he's got the best deep ball accuracy in class."

Should the Saints be worried about his "maturity issues?"

"Everything that I've heard from scouts at the combine have read from insiders is that his maturity issues aren't really there anymore, that he did kind of learn from the things that happened at Oklahoma. But they do consider what happened on "QB1" where he kind of is demeaning his teammate, ridiculing his teammate as an 18-year-old having a camera in front of his face. So I think the talent is there."

Where I had Rattler ranked among the other quarterbacks in the class

"I even had Spencer Rattler ranked as the fourth-best quarterback of this class. So we're talking about the top three quarterbacks. We're talking Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye. I thought he was better. His tape was better than J.J. McCarthy. I get J.J. McCarthy is much younger. J.J. McCarthy has the ability to have a little bit of a longer runway than a guy like Spencer Rattler might."

His fit with the Saints makes his projection much shakier

"I can't say that I'm going to sit here and bank my reputation on a fifth round quarterback who might never get an opportunity to start... I don't know if it's a great spot for him in terms of, I think he'll probably be looking at a different head coach next year, and I think he'll probably be looking at a different offensive coordinator and maybe an entirely different offensive system next year, which is not great for any fifth round quarterback... So we'll see what happens there, but I think that's enough time spent again on a fifth round quarterback who may never see the opportunity to see the field."

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Cory Kinnan

CORY KINNAN