Should the Minnesota VikingsIf the Vikings' plans to acquire a top quarterback in this year's NFL draft don't work out, they might consider a less flashy solution in the middle rounds.
Spencer Rattler was a highly-rated recruit when he entered the University of Oklahoma in 2019. However, his college career didn't go as well as expected, and he is now considered a Day-2 prospect in the NFL draft due to impressive qualities overshadowed by some serious flaws.
But there is still a significant demand for quarterbacks across the league, as is the case every season. Minnesota is one of several teams in need of a quarterback but may not be able to secure one of the top three or four prospects. Former NFL wide receiver Deshaun Jackson thinks that the Vikings would be a good fit for Rattler at the professional level.
“I think Minnesota. Going over there with Justin [Jefferson], man, Minnesota,” Jackson said during an appearance on the “Up & Adams Show” this week. “I think that’d be a good fit for him. They need a quarterback, too.”
Rattler, who was making an appearance on the show at the same time, responded to the idea with excitement.
“Hey, that’s a great situation,” Rattler said. “It’d be a blessing to play there, for sure. Got a lot of weapons.”
Ex-Vikings GM Rick Spielman Also Mentioned Minnesota as Good Landing Spot for Spencer Rattler
GettySouth Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler has entered the 2024 NFL draft.
Jackson, a three-time Pro Bowler and bonafide deep threat during his 15-year career, isn’t the only prominent football personality to suggest a pairing of Rattler and the Vikings in recent days.
Former Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman, who worked with the franchise in one high-level capacity or another for 16 years through 2021, told Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports on March 25 that Rattler needs to find the right system to succeed at the next level. For Spielman, that means an offense that sprouted somewhere from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree.
“Anyone coming out of that [offensive] system would be the best, whether it’s the Rams or whether it’s the 49ers. I would say even Minnesota,” Spielman said. “If [Rattler] does get in that right [system], 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.”
QB Spencer Rattler Has Big Arm, Small Frame
GettyFormer South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler.
Rattler will turn 24 years old in late September, during the first month of his NFL career should a team draft him.
It is likely that Rattler will come off the board at some point later this month, as Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department labeled the South Carolina QB with a third-round grade and ranked him as the 7th-best quarterback prospect and 66th-best overall prospect heading into the draft.
BR’s scouting report also referred to Rattler as “arm talent personified,” but noted his diminutive stature and overly aggressive nature — sometimes leading to mistakes — as potential faults at the next level.
