NFL Coach Compares Spencer Rattler to Baker Mayfield but Questions Future in NFL

Spencer Rattler has emerged as a wild card at quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft because of his unique arm talent, though his actual upside is still a question mark.

An offensive assistant currently in the league told Bruce Feldman of The Athletic that Rattler has a Baker Mayfield type of personality, but he may not be able to galvanize teammates like Mayfield has throughout his career:

"He's changing arm angles, trajectories. He stays in the pocket. I think he's a real guy. Is he a Gardner Minshew-type of range guy? His arm is better than Minshew's. He's got a Baker-ish type personality but I don't know if he can bring people with him like Baker can. It's like, 'I know what I can do,' which is appealing. He likes the bright lights. He likes the flash but he likes to be coached and his technique is real good. He has a repeatable strike. He's balanced. It's like a nerf ball in his hands."

There was a time when it wouldn't have been a stretch to think Rattler was going to be a top prospect in the NFL draft. He was a 5-star prospect and No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2019 high-school recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Rattler had a fine college career, but he was hurt by losing his starting job at Oklahoma to Caleb Williams during the 2021 season. The 23-year-old transferred to South Carolina and played his final two college seasons for the Gamecocks.

B/R's Derrik Klassen described Rattler as "arm talent personified" because he "plays with a loose, snappy throwing motion and finds ways to get the ball out cleanly and powerfully regardless of his throwing platform."

The Mayfield comparison is apt because they are both undersized quarterbacks with big arms who tend to believe it can get them out of any situation, which can lead to mistakes in critical moments.

Unlike Mayfield, who was the No. 1 pick in 2018, Rattler probably won't come off the board until day two of the draft. B/R's NFL scouting department is projecting him to be drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round with the 76th overall pick.