The Minnesota Vikings are driven and have a good chance to trade up for a top QB prospect in the NFL draft, but there's still a reasonable chance those efforts will fail.
Should that happen, or even if Minnesota lands its man somewhere in the top five, the front office might think about taking a risk on a quarterback with high potential in the later rounds. Former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman suggested quarterback Spencer Rattler, formerly of Oklahoma and South Carolina, as a player who might be worth the pick.
Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports held a mailbag with Spielman on March 25 and addressed a question about Rattler's potential to become a franchise quarterback in the right system. Wilson suggested a team like the San Francisco 49ers, who could develop Rattler for a couple of years behind Brock Purdy in case the team doesn't plan to give the former 7th-round pick a significant multiyear contract before his free agency in March 2026.
“Anyone coming out of that [offensive] system would be the best, whether it’s the Rams or whether it’s the 49ers,” Spielman said. “I would say even Minnesota.”
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell worked as the offensive coordinator under Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay when the franchise won the Super Bowl following the 2021 campaign.
“I don’t know if Brock Purdy would be Brock Purdy if he wasn’t in San Francisco. They have to be in the right system, in the right fight, in the right coaching,” Spielman continued, before noting Rattler’s history of struggles making late-game decisions. “If [Rattler] does get in that right area, then I think he has a chance, because there’s no question about the throwing and everything like that. It’s just if he’s not in the right situation, he’s gonna fail.”
Vikings in Similar Situation as 49ers in 2021, When SF Traded Up for Trey Lance & Drafted QB Brock Purdy
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
Wilson’s suggestion of the 49ers, which led Spielman to mention the Vikings, is interesting given how Purdy came to lead the team.
San Francisco traded three first-round picks, and then some, to the Miami Dolphins to move up from No. 12 to No. 3 in the 2021 draft and select quarterback Trey Lance. The team also drafted Purdy that year as an afterthought with the very last selection in the last round.
Jimmy Garoppolo started for the majority of Lance’s and Purdy’s rookie year. Lance took the reins to begin his sophomore season but was severely injured in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears and sat for the remainder of the season. Garoppolo stepped back in but suffered an injury himself later in the year.
Purdy eventually took over and never surrendered the starting job. Now Garoppolo and Lance are both playing in non-starting roles elsewhere, while Purdy was a frontrunner in the 2023 MVP race until a four-interception performance in a Week-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens one day after Christmas.
The Vikings traded with the Houston Texans for the No. 23 overall pick, which they will presumably package with their No. 11 selection in an attempt to move up. If the team tries to go all the way to No. 3 with the New England Patriots, It is likely that Minnesota will need to also include its 2025 first-round draft pick.
That move might turn out very well, or the team might discover that the potential 2024 starting player Sam Darnold is their best choice for the next season and beyond. To play it safe, the Vikings could consider adding Rattler — or a similar quarterback — later in the draft and allow O’Connell to develop him.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler Known for Exceptional Throwing Ability
GettyQuarterback Spencer Rattler, previously with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Rattler is 23 years old and was a highly-rated recruit when he went to Oklahoma after high school.
Unfortunately, Rattler did not live up to the high expectations and ended up transferring from Oklahoma to South Carolina in 2022. After five years in college, Rattler has become eligible for the NFL draft and has significant potential.
The Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department referred to Rattler as “a personification of exceptional throwing ability.”
“He throws with a relaxed, brisk throwing motion and manages to deliver the ball smoothly and powerfully no matter his throwing position,” Bleacher Report stated. “Moreover, Rattler throws with a lot of force and an unexpected amount of precision. He can increase or decrease the speed of the throw as necessary, and he can put the right trajectory on the ball to access all areas of the field. Rattler can throw deep passes just as well as he can deliver soft corner routes. His throwing ability and flexibility is remarkably similar to that of Caleb Williams.”
However, Rattler is noticeably shorter at 6 feet tall and 211 pounds. His athletic measurements were below average for the position and BR scouts noted tendencies to be overly aggressive, which can lead to recklessness.
That being said, they gave Rattler a third-round rating and called him a “high-level backup/potential starter” at the NFL level, comparing the player to a “short Jay Cutler.” Rattler finished his final college season at South Carolina with 3,186 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions.
