Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina (Senior)

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Strengths :

  • Good athlete
  • Elite throwing mechanics
  • Velocity and accuracy on short to intermediate throws
  • Good improvisational skills
  • Able to carry a team on his shoulders

Weaknesses :

  • Age
  • Deep throws
  • Pocket presence (potentially impacted by his offensive line)
  • Decision-making (potentially impacted by his offensive line and wide receivers)
  • Vision on deep throws

TTProfil

 

Spencer Rattler is slightly undersized for his position but has good muscle mass distribution. He is a good athlete with solid quickness, acceleration, and enough speed to attack the intermediate level. However, he lacks the ability to break long runs and finish them. 

In terms of throwing mechanics, Rattler has one of the cleanest techniques. His upper body mechanics are nearly flawless, with perfectly aligned shoulders, clean torso rotation, and quick release. His lower body coordination issues have been mostly corrected, and his footwork and weight transfer are solid.

Spencer has an excellent arm on the first two levels of the field (short and intermediate), capable of generating a lot of velocity and being precise. While his ball placement isn't elite, it remains very good. He demonstrates anticipation with very tight windows, although this wasn't showcased extensively this season due to the system and the quality of receivers on the field.
I don't think he has enough power to consistently throw on the third level beyond 40 yards. His throws often end up underthrown and lack real ball placement.
Thanks to his excellent arm mechanics, he's capable of throwing touch passes and arcing throws, allowing him to launch deep balls on 50/50 opportunities. He also has a nice ability to throw off-platform (using different angles), but he doesn't overuse it at all.


His pocket presence is decent, although he has been affected by pressure at times. He has good footwork, which allows him to navigate within the pocket and escape when under pressure. He is a very good creator, capable of extending plays with his legs.
There were occasions when he panicked under pressure and made really poor decisions, but it's important to contextualize this. His offensive line was catastrophic and often held up for only half of the game (usually he managed an elite completion percentage, around 90%, with some incompletions being due to drops or throwing away passes when there were no viable options). Additionally, he had only one high-caliber receiver in Legette, who was often limited by injuries, and the absence of a strong running game further compounded his challenges. It's worth mentioning that the defense was also subpar, which forced Rattler to take on a decisive role almost single-handedly.


Rattler has a very good pre-snap process but a more inconsistent post-snap process. He reads defenses well and knows how to adjust his offense based on what's presented. He has a solid understanding of defenses, even when they disguise coverages such as zone 2, 3, or 4.
His post-snap process, however, is inconsistent. I would have liked to see better reads of the safeties and especially improved field vision, particularly on the third level, in 2023.
He has the ability to make full-field reads, but the fact that he had a weak offensive line and a limited number of playmakers meant that he wasn't able to demonstrate it consistently. There were many reads focused on one receiver or one area to simplify his decision-making.



Spencer Rattler is underrated because people focus too much on the stats and what they saw on the show "QB1 Beyond The Lights" regarding his character. In relation to that, Rattler has made tremendous progress in his leadership. This year, he showed no signs of detrimental frustration or an oversized ego. He had already improved significantly last season, but he solidified this aspect even further this season.
His interviews are good; he has the right words for media responses. In short, in my opinion, there are no longer any issues in this area.
Now, from a sports perspective, I believe that Rattler has the tools to be the QB1 of a franchise, but not under just any system. One might think that I'm making excuses for Rattler's flaws seen this season, but that's not the case. Yes, many of these flaws are explainable, but it remains an open question. That's why a system like Kyle Shanahan's or Matt LaFleur's could be very beneficial. Give him a strong running game with play actions, and he will make your offense work.
I evaluate Spencer Rattler as a Day 2 prospect

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