Mel Kiper explains why Spencer Rattler has dropped on his big board

The NFL scouting process is a very fluid one and players are constantly under evaluation. Nobody knows that more than Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, who’s seen his draft stock plummet in a matter of weeks.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper recently dropped Rattler down on his big board rankings for the 2022 NFL Draft. He explained why in a recent interview.

“Well, he’s still in the top 25, barely in the top 25. But he may have been a little overrated going in [to the 2021 season], but this is when you put him under the microscope. This is the year, the evaluation year. Remember Baker Mayfield his final year at Oklahoma, lit it up. 15 touchdowns, no picks the first five games,” Kiper said.

“You haven’t seen that with Spencer Rattler. You think about the first few games here if you take the Western Carolina game out. Three picks and three touchdown passes. So he’s gonna get better. Kansas State on the road this week. Then the Red River Rivalry against Texas. There will be opportunities to improve but he still has a top 25 grade, it’s just not in the elite of the top five overall.”

Rattler has not performed up to the lofty expectations many had for him coming into the 2021 season and Oklahoma fans let him know about it by chanting for him to be replaced.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit made the point on College Gameday on Saturday morning that it was the first time he’d ever seen a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback get booed on his own field.

It’s big-time college football. Players either produce to a high level of expectation or else they are going to hear it from fans, coaches, and media alike. That’s just how it goes. That’s how it will always be, especially at a place like Oklahoma, with a rich and storied football tradition.

Criticism, like it or not, is going to come at a variety of angles at all times. With an NFL prospect like Rattler, the scrutiny and criticism only gets worse in the National Football League. That’s just the reality of being a big-time sports.

Highly touted high school prospect

Rattler has been in the spotlight for an incredibly long time, so being in the spotlight is nothing new to the signal-caller. After all, he was featured on the Netflix show: “QB1: Beyond the Lights.” Rattler attended Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona. He was named the Elite 11 MVP during the Elite 11 quarterback competition. The 6-foot-1 signal-caller was also named to the U.S. Army All-American game in high school. He also threw for an Arizona state record 11,083 passing yards with 116 passing touchdowns in his highly decorated high school career.