Should Pittsburgh Take Spencer Rattler in the Draft?
NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson, from CBS, made an appearance on the Pittsburgh sports radio show 93.7 The Fan. During the appearance, Wilson implied that the Steelers should consider taking Spencer Rattler on day three of the NFL Draft, including: “Rattler has better physical tools than Kenny Pickett. It’s not even close.”
Speaking freely, I knew nothing about Spencer Rattler or South Carolina athletics, so I went through his draft profile and did a very brief film study of him.
Rattler’s college career began in 2019 at Oklahoma, where he sat behind Jalen Hurts. He had a productive year as a starter in 2020 and was a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy entering the 2021 season. However, he got benched that year in favor of Caleb Williams, who was productive enough to maintain his status as a starter for the rest of the year, before transferring to USC. Spencer Rattler, on the other hand, transferred to South Carolina in 2022.
Rattler showed flashes of brilliance at South Carolina, but his inconsistent play is what will likely keep him on the couch during the first two days of the draft. He has a tendency to drop back too far and bail out of clean pockets, which is a drive killer. His tape shows numerous highlight plays that display amazing arm strength and an ability to keep his eyes down field looking for receivers to get open. However, he can be described as a gunslinger, and thus, is turnover-prone. Even looking at some of his best plays of the 2023 season, the throws are beautiful, but he’s not setting his feet, and he likes to throw the ball across his body to the opposite side of the field. You might be able to get away with those things in college, but the NFL is an entirely different beast.
To compare him to Kenny Pickett, or even insinuate that he should start over KP, is ridiculous in my opinion. He comes with the same achilles heel as Pickett, bailing out of the pocket too early, and he’s prone to making mistakes. With that being said, it’s worth noting that South Carolina had one of the worst offensive lines in the country, which surely contributed to Rattlers’ antsy-ness in the pocket.
I’ve been saying for weeks now that Pickett-Tannehill-Rookie will likely be our QB room heading into OTAs, so I’m not against the Steelers taking Rattler. He certainly has the physical attributes that warrant a day three pick. I wouldn’t want to see him any earlier than the fourth round. What do yinz think? Let me know on the socials!
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