New York Giants Draft Prospect: QB Spencer Rattler

Spencer Rattler is an intriguing Day 2 option at quarterback, notes Nick Falato.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Apr 02, 2024

In this story:

Spencer Rattler

NFL Draft

New York Giants

Spencer Rattler, QB

Height: 6’0
Weight: 211 lbs
Arm length: 31”
Wingspan: 74 ¾”
Hands: 9 ⅞”
Class: RS-Senior
School: South Carolina
STATS

MEASUREMENTS

40-yard-dash: 4.95
10-yard split: 1.63
Vertical jump: 32”
Broad jump: 9’0”
3-Cone: 7.21
20-yard shuttle: 4.37

A former five-star recruit out of Pinnacle High School in the Valley of the Sun Phoenix, Arizona, where he was the number one recruit from the state and the ninth overall player in the 2019 recruiting cycle. In his senior season at Pinnacle High School, Rattler starred in the Peter Berg-directed Netflix sports documentary QB1: Beyond the Lights. However, Rattler was suspended through the latter part of his senior year for reportedly violating a district code of conduct.

Rattler took college football by storm in Lincoln Riley’s offense with the Oklahoma Sooners in his RS-Freshman year of 2020. He won the 2020 Big 12 Championship MVP. Heading into the 2021 season, Rattler was the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. It did not go as planned for Rattler, who was supplanted by Caleb Williams in Week 6 vs. Texas. At the end of the season, Rattler and his personal coach announced that he would transfer. Rattler chose the University of South Carolina and put up two consecutive 3,000-plus yard seasons.

According to Pro Football Focus, he finished his college career with a 4.9% Big Time Throw rate, a 3.2% Turnover Worthy Play rate, and an aDOT (average depth of target) of 8.3 yards. He had a higher-than-average adjusted completion percentage and pressure-to-sack rate.

Rattler was sacked 39 times in 2023 and constantly harassed. Despite that unfortunate reality, Rattler’s game stabilized, and he appeared to be more polished with his mechanics and poised through the pressure than he was in previous seasons. He salvaged a bad situation and didn’t cry over the spilled milk. He is no longer the front-runner that he once was, but he’s being discussed as a day-two quarterback option, which seemed unlikely just a couple of years ago.

Strengths

* Light on his feet allows him to set platform and throw quickly under pressure
* Moves well in short-areas - quick feet and solid short-area quickness
* Below-average athlete
* Mechanically sound in the pocket - fluid/quick throwing motion
* Good decision-making in RPO/Read game
* Quick in quick game - gets football out promptly
* Impressive timing within the offense, quick release
* Calm navigator under pressure - good feet/ability to reset
* Very good pocket awareness despite his sack total
* Buys time in the pocket - when necessary - to flow from the rush to allow routes to develop
* Quickly gets to check down when the pocket gets muddy
* This guy got his backside kicked in the pocket and displayed poise through immense pressure - incredibly tough
* Good overall processor - saw the field much better in 2023
* Excellent creativity in the pocket - finds rushing lanes when they’re hard to locate
* Has very good overall arm talent/touch
* Understood how to attack zone coverage with the proper ball placement
* Solid overall arm strength - can throw the ball around the yard
* Good overall velocity
* Does not need a stable platform to throw well
* Ball zips out of his hand on the run
* Beautiful overall play goes INC vs. UNC Q1 14:02 3rd & 12
* Another one UNC Q2 6:58 on rollout/throwback
* Patience on deep dig off clearout Georgia 3rd & 15 Q4 5:10
* Patience to hit second throwing window…
--Florida Q4 10:33; Kentucky 3rd & 15 Q4 12:02; Jax State Q2 00:53
* Throws a beautiful ball - easily comes off his hand
* Impressive accuracy beyond 10 yards over the MOF - puts touch on the football
* Good anticipatory thrower over the middle of the field, specifically on deep digs
* Seems to have matured from his past experiences
* Was named MVP of the Reese’s Senior Bowl

[View more draft prospect scouting profiles.]

Weaknesses

* Undersized - short
* Height could hinder his ability to see proper throwing angles over the middle of the field
* Underwhelming athletic ability
* Not fast - had to get very creative in the pocket
* Not the biggest arm, but does attack every area of the field
* Some deep passes hung in the air a tad too long
* Did short-change passes outside the numbers to the flat from the far hash
* Post-snap mistakes on seeing the field
--UNC Q2 14:14, Q2 1:37 CB blitz x2
--Clemson Q1 14:25
* Can be too aggressive and throw the ball deep where it shouldn’t be
* Is already 24 years old

Summary

Spencer Rattler is a mechanically sound quarterback with precise footwork and a quick release. South Carolina’s offensive line did him little favors in 2023, but he did a very good job navigating a bad situation while displaying exceptional competitive toughness and creativity. His arm talent allows him to access every field area, and he displayed anticipatory skills over the middle of the field. Rattler was 38 of 61 (62%) when targeting the middle of the field beyond 10-yards.

Rattler’s ability to throw with anticipation over the middle of the field, combined with his patience to wait for secondary throwing windows, shows not only good judgment but also an understanding of how to properly vary his targets between the hashes depending on the coverage/play; this could, and should, be enhanced if he is presented more time to throw - something he did not have in 2023.

Rattler still attempts to force some deep throws. From the 2022 film I saw, his decision-making improved from 2022 to 2023, but it wasn’t always consistent in 2023. However, his vision against zone coverage, combined with his touch, was a positive area on tape. Overall, Spencer Rattler can efficiently work quick game and operate the short-intermediate parts of the field well. While his arm isn’t huge, he has very good arm talent and can push the football down the field at a functional rate. He may best fit into a West Coast scheme that is predicated on quick-timing and sound fundamentals, but he isn’t limited to that offense.

GRADE: 6.18