Spencer Rattler's Revelation on Sean Payton Could Shake Up Broncos' Draft Haul

Spencer Rattler might be more than a sleeper for the Denver Broncos.

Dec 30, 2022; Jacksonville, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) throws / Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

As the NFL world scrambles to predict what the future holds at quarterback for the
Denver Broncos, just about every first-round-caliber prospect at the position has been linked to the team in one form or another. Holding the No. 12 overall pick in the NFL draft and nursing a massive hole at quarterback, it's viewed as almost a matter of course that Denver will come out of the first round with a shiny, new signal-caller.

However, this year's quarterback class comes with a lot of potential obstacles and pitfalls for a team like the Broncos, especially with where the team currently sits in Round 1. It's within the realm of the plausible that — barring a trade-up — the Broncos find themselves in the unenviable position of need and value not lining up when they go on the clock at No. 12.

If head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton aren't convinced that taking Oregon's Bo Nix or Washington's Michael Penix Jr. is the right value at No. 12, the Broncos might opt to draft an edge rusher, offensive tackle or cornerback instead of a quarterback, or possibly even try to trade back in the first round. If the Broncos do take a non-QB at No. 12, odds are, Nix and Penix will be long gone well before the team's next selection at No. 76 overall (third round).

But in such an event, the Football Gods might still allow the Broncos to have their cake and eat it, too — if South Carolina's Spencer Rattler is still on the board at No. 76. Widely viewed as the best mid-round QB prospect in this class, the former five-star recruit could end up being one of the steals of the 2024 draft.

The Broncos seem to like Rattler, according to the young gunslinger. At the very least, we know Payton liked Rattler's film before meeting with him at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. Rattler recognizes Payton's coaching wisdom and experience and really felt good about his meetings with the Broncos.

"Very experienced, as we know," Rattler said of Payton from the Combine podium. "[He] knows a lot. [He] was impressed with my film. We had great talks. It went well."

Rattler also seems to understand the situation the Broncos currently find themselves in, and how that could be advantageous to a potentially slept-on prospect like him. The Broncos' quarterback need is the worst-kept secret in the NFL, and while the team is just outside the top 10 of this year's draft, there are enough QB-desperate teams ahead of them that landing one of the top 3 or 4 prospects at the position is unlikely.

That reality could severely alter the quarterback calculus for Denver, especially if Payton is unconvinced that the aforementioned Nix and Penix would be worth the No. 12 pick. Between a rock and a hard place, the Broncos could abandon the first-round conversation and look to maneuver for a mid-round sleeper — like Rattler.

"[My] Broncos [meeting] went really well," Rattler said at the Combine. "That's a team that is an interesting situation. Met with Coach Payton, all those guys. It was a great time. I had great talks with them."

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Rattler seemed to catch himself mid-sentence when first asked about the Broncos, and there seemed to be a curious gleam in his eye when he paused before making his "interesting situation" comment. Perhaps he knows something we don't.

If Payton was truly "impressed" by Rattler's tape, Broncos fans and media could be sleeping on this potential fit. Rattler was one of the most coveted QBs coming out of high school, initially signing with the Oklahoma Sooners to play for then-head coach Lincoln Riley.

As a red-shirt freshman, Rattler became Riley's starter at Oklahoma, passing for 3,031 yards and 28 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. The future looked bright for the Arizona native.

Viewed as a top Heisman Trophy candidate entering his sophomore season, Rattler would fall out of favor with Riley. Rattler was benched in favor of Caleb Williams. Both Riley and Wiliams would end up at USC the following year, while Rattler transfered to South Carolina to play for Shane Beamer, with whom he had a connection at Oklahoma.

Rattler's stock had taken a precipitous hit by then, and despite solid production in back-to-back seasons in South Carolina, he wasn't able to recapture that cache he had when he signed with Oklahoma. As is often the case with collegiate transfers, it didn't quite work out the way he'd hoped, and Rattler is now hoping to get his foot in the door with an NFL team, even if it's in the third or fourth round.

As we've seen over the years from quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, and Dak Prescott, sometimes the NFL gets it wrong. That's no guarantee that Rattler will be the next mid-round sleeper to take the NFL by storm, but there's no question that the 6-foot, 211-pound quarterback has a very high ceiling.

It's that basement-level floor that gives teams pause. However, when it's all said and done, it wouldn't be surprising if Rattler hears his name called much earlier than the third round, nor would it be a complete shock to see Payton trade up from pick No. 76 to land him if, indeed, the Broncos miss out on a quarterback for one reason or another in the first round.

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