Spencer Rattler is a Sleeper Quarterback Prospect For the Minnesota Vikings

At this point, Vikings fans have heard all about the top six quarterback prospects in this year's draft class. There's Caleb Williams, who is a virtual lock to be taken No. 1 overall by the Bears. There's Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye and J.J. McCarthy, all potential top-five picks who make up the next tier for most analysts. Then there's Heisman finalists Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix, who are potential first-rounders after transferring and lighting up the Pac-12.

But those aren't the only quarterbacks in this class. Among the rest of the group, Spencer Rattler stands out as a forgotten player with some genuine upside as a middle-round prospect.

Once the No. 1 quarterback recruit in a 2019 high school class that also included Daniels, Nix, and Sam Howell, Rattler began his career playing for Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. As a redshirt freshman in 2020, he threw for over 3,000 yards with 28 touchdown passes, seven interceptions, and six rushing TDs in 11 games, establishing himself as a potential top-five pick in the 2022 draft. But then came the 2021 season, which saw Rattler regress and eventually get benched for a true freshman Williams during the Texas game. Rattler then transferred to South Carolina and played fairly well over the last two seasons, throwing for 37 touchdowns with 20 interceptions and seven rushing scores.

At 6'0" and 210 pounds, Rattler doesn't have ideal size for the position. He struggled with inconsistency throughout his college career, and there are questions about his processing and arm strength. But he also didn't get a whole lot of help at South Carolina over the last couple seasons. Rattler, who won Senior Bowl MVP, does have some legitimately intriguing traits when you talk about his arm talent and pocket presence. He isn't a dynamic athlete, but he avoids pressure well and can make a wide range of throws even when the pocket breaks down. He's drawn some comparisons to Baker Mayfield, another undersized QB who played for Riley at Oklahoma. There are some analysts who actually like Rattler more than Penix and Nix.

Is he an option for the Vikings? It doesn't feel like something that should be completely ruled out. "That's a great situation," Rattler said on the Up & Adams Show when asked about the Vikings. "It would be a blessing to play there, for sure. Got a lot of weapons."

Then again, it's tough to see where the Vikings would take Rattler. You probably can't take him in the first round, and the Vikings don't have a second or third-round pick at the moment, so they'd have to trade back. Plus, this feels like a draft where Minnesota is going to be aggressive in landing one of the perceived top four prospects — or at least someone like Penix later in the first round as a fallback plan. If they draft a QB early and Rattler is still available in the fourth round, would they consider double dipping at the position like Washington did in 2012 with RGIII and Kirk Cousins?

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