Spencer Rattler is the next Oklahoma QB destined for the NFL. Starting with back-to-back first round picks in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, and then a second round pick in Jalen Hurts, Lincoln Riley has done wonders at Oklahoma in the QB department. Spencer Rattler, truly, has the possibility to be the next first round QB from Oklahoma, and even has the potential to go first overall. Let’s see what makes Rattler so special and what he has to do to be the top QB in the 2022 draft class.
Strengths: Spencer Rattler has exceptional arm talent. He has elite arm strength, as he is effortlessly able to launch the ball 50 yards down the field. He also puts great zip on the ball, delivering short routes extremely quickly and on time. Rattler has an extremely quick release as well, wasting very little time in getting the ball out. He displays great accuracy on all areas of the field. He quickly gets the ball to his receivers on slants and in routes and hits them perfectly, providing them the opportunity to make plays after the catch. He accurately hits his wide receivers outside the numbers and along the sideline, putting the ball in spots where only his receivers could get it. On intermediate and deep routes, Rattler shows the ability to launch the ball and hit his receivers perfectly in stride. Along with this arm talent, Rattler has great athleticism as well, as he has a great ability in avoiding pressure and being able to run around both inside and outside the pocket. He makes many of his best plays while scrambling outside the pocket. Rattler displays the ability to throw very accurately while on the move, often throwing off of many different platforms and from different arm angles. Due to his elite arm strength, he can launch the ball without using power from his hips, which allows him to launch the ball without setting his feet. Rattler runs the read option very well, and he is dangerous whether he holds onto the ball to run or pass due to his skillset. As stated earlier, Rattler is at his best on the move outside the pocket. There are many designed plays where Lincoln Riley takes advantage of this in designed rollouts. He also has a nice ability to maneuver the pocket whether the pressure is coming off the edge or up the middle. He is also an elusive runner, often displaying great start-stop ability as well as the ability to make tacklers miss. Although his ability to sense and recognize pressure isn’t great yet, it is good considering his lack of experience, and he was also showing great improvement throughout the season. Rattler also displayed great improvement in the mental aspects of the game, throwing into less dangerous situations as the season progressed. Rattler possesses the unteachable improvisational skill, which will bode him well at the next level.
Weaknesses: Rattler’s size may be a slight concern for NFL teams, as he only stands at 6’1″, 205lbs. I wouldn’t be too concerned, but he does get an occasional ball knocked down at the line of scrimmage. That will be something he needs to be cognizant of in the NFL, since the defensive linemen here are bigger and taller. A lot of people will point to his benching in the Texas game as a red flag, but I will provide some pushback to that. Rattler is young, and I believe that the quick benching gave him a mental reset, as he came out firing when he returned in the second half. To me, that was a turning point in the season for him. Because Rattler is young, he does miss some outside blitzers at times, but I believe that will improve with experience. Although Rattler is a good runner, I would like to see him slide once in a while to avoid some hits. The two big issues with Rattler’s game are his ball security and reading of the field. Rattler needs to improve his hold on the football, as he had too many strip sacks on tape this season. Finally, Rattler often missed LBs sitting in coverage, either throwing into double coverage or throwing to a receiver he thought was open but wasn’t. He also put his receivers at risk for a big hit once in a while across the middle from those LBs, which I think will also get better with experience.
Bottom Line: Rattler is a special talent. He truly has elite arm talent, which makes him comparable to Zach Wilson last year. He is very accurate, can launch the ball, and can throw from many different platforms and arm angles. He is dynamic from both outside the pocket and on the run. He avoids pressure with ease, and does really well throwing on the move. His issues with ball security and reading of the field are very fixable, since both can be improved by simply having more experience. Rattler has the potential to be the QB1 in this draft class.
