Spencer Rattler Defended by Exec After 2024 NFL Draft Slide; Saints QB Has ‘Matured’

Adam WellsMay 2, 2024

Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Spencer Rattler’s fall in the 2024 NFL draft was partly attributed to questions about his character, but some people within the league feel that is a somewhat outdated concern for the quarterback.

One league executive acknowledged to The Athletic’s Mike Sando that Rattler’s “history doesn’t help him,” but he “has matured” and is “really coachable.”

Rattler was a polarizing prospect throughout the pre-draft process for a variety of reasons. His college production at Oklahoma and South Carolina was often inconsistent.

In his scouting report of Rattler for B/R, Derrik Klassen noted only “a handful of players who throw with his flexibility and arm strength and accuracy,” but his reckless style, “diminutive frame and poor athletic testing” left a lot of questions about his NFL potential.

Despite those concerns, Rattler was still B/R’s sixth-ranked quarterback and No. 67 overall prospect in the class.

As the draft was going on with no mention of Rattler being selected, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said during day three that the South Carolina quarterback’s appearance on a Netflix reality show in 2019 was impacting his stock.

“It did not make him look great,” Rapoport said. “And it is unbelievable how many different teams mentioned to me the image of him in that show and how they can’t get it out of their heads.”

Mike Rattler, Spencer’s father, told Richard Obert of The Arizona Republic in October 2018 that his son was ruled ineligible for the remainder of his senior season at Phoenix Pinnacle, including the playoffs, for violating a district code of conduct policy

The suspension was vaguely addressed in the documentary, with Rattler noting it was for a “childish, dumb mistake.”

While it’s not uncommon for NFL teams to pore over every detail of a prospect’s life before deciding if they want to draft him, it seems strange to cite this one thing Rattler did as a 17-year-old as a reason not to draft him.

Teams also have far more information than the public does, so perhaps the reasons were valid. There were no indications during his five seasons between Oklahoma and South Carolina that Rattler was a problem.

The New Orleans Saints ultimately ended Rattler’s wait to find a home when they selected him with the 150th overall pick in the fifth round. He will have the opportunity to compete with Jake Haener for the backup job to Derek Carr next season.