The NFL draft is largely a guessing game, and every year we see players outperform their draft status. And Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay picked six rookies who could do just that. Rather than focus on the players who were drafted too early, Kay chose to highlight on the positive impact of some of those reaches. One team’s reach led to another team getting a bargain as highly-regarded prospects fell down the board.
One of the New Orleans Saints’ fifth-round selections, former South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, was the latest draft pick to make Bleacher Report’s list. Kay’s statement is in tune with the excitement from Saints’ fans when the selection was made:
While New Orleans lacked the premium first-round pick required to land one of the top signal-callers in the 2024 class, it did come away from the draft with a potential solution to its quarterback woes. By utilizing a Day 3 pick on Spencer Rattler, the Saints finally have a developmental prospect with the ceiling of becoming a quality NFL starter.
Rattler should immediately push if not usurp Jake Haener as New Orleans’ second-string quarterback. His ceiling certainly provides more optimism in Rattler as a starter. Despite being selected at No. 150, there was a time where Rattler was thought of as a high first round pick. If he can reach his ceiling, Kay will look like the smartest guy in the room and so will the Saints.
It’s clear the South Carolina quarterback has natural talent. There’s a reason he went in the 5th round, however. There are clearly things Rattler needs to work out. Sitting behind Derek Carr for likely two years will give him the seasoning to make a smoother transition. It will be delayed gratification, but if Kay is correct New Orleans may have found Carr’s successor.
