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2023 NFL Draft: Spencer Rattler Provides Shock And Awe

By Jacob Schyvinck

Nov 19, 2022; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) throws a pass against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2022; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) throws a pass against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports /
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Did South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler hop back on to the 2023 NFL Draft radar with his performance against Tennessee?

The 2023 NFL Draft features a two-quarterback class with plenty of potential behind the top two, but in a year full of surprises and disappointments at that position, we were treated to some shock and awe on Saturday night. The Tennessee Volunteers were hanging on to their College Football Playoff hopes, but they were crushed in an insane 63-38 loss to South Carolina.

The main story of the game from a draft perspective was the play of Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler. Rattler lit up the scoreboard, completing a whopping 81 percent of his passes for 438 yards, six touchdowns, and averaging 11.83 yards per attempt. All the wow throws showed up, with downfield strikes and clutch plays on money downs to boot. Rattler also didn’t make a back-breaking decision that altered the game. It was, in short, a dominant performance.

But where has this been all season long? Rattler has been inconsistent at best in his first season at South Carolina, and had thrown just eight touchdowns to nine interceptions in all his other games this season. He’s looked uncomfortable in the pocket and has made some horrendous decisions, especially against pressure. His footwork has been inconsistent leading to accuracy issues, all of which reared their head at Oklahoma in 2021, leading to his benching.

So what happened on Saturday night? Did Spencer Rattler actually piece everything together exactly when he needed it? Or was this a true aberration? It’s correct to lean towards the latter. Everything clicked for one night and it’s something we hadn’t seen all season long.

What this game does show is how things look when Rattler puts it all together, and why he was talked about highly in the summer of 2021. It has to be consistent, but there are tools to work with that could make him a very late selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Eyes will at least be checking in on Rattler this weekend, as he could play spoiler yet again playing Clemson.

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