ESPN's Field Yates weighs in on Spencer Rattler's draft stock

Despite a tough season for South Carolina, quarterback Spencer Rattler continues to impress many. That includes longtime NFL analyst Field Yates of ESPN who appeared on GC Live Afternoon Drive on Thursday.

“Leadership as been A+ from Spencer. He has been as exemplary of a leader for a program as you can be,” Yates told Gamecock Central. “During a season that admittedly hasn’t gone the way anybody wanted it to be… Spencer has been awesome as a leader and he’s been so competitive.”

That competitiveness has helped South Carolina stay afloat the best they can during a time where injuries has plagued the Gamecocks’ offense. Through nine games, Rattler has threw for 2,516 yards and and 14 touchdowns.

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“I think what it comes down to for Spencer is when you’re not one of those first round quarterbacks, which I do not project Spencer to be, what I think it comes down to is at some point once you get past, let’s call it the first 45, 50, even 60 picks of the draft and you’re not taken as a quarterback. The range is very dependent on how you do in the pre-draft process because that’s the chance teams get to learn about who you are as a human. It’s gonna be the intangibles, the dependability, the interview skills. It’s gonna be the sharpness of the grease board, so to speak. It’s gonna be the intellect, the processing, the decision-making. Things that, in some ways, you learn when you’re with an individual.”

Coming off throwing the second most yards in a game in his career (399 against Jacksonville State), Rattler has only been impressing more and more scouts and analysts. But like finding a diamond in the rough, Yates’ believes Rattler’s worth will ultimately come down to how valuable specific teams view him.

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“Some teams might say to themselves, ‘Hey, we think Spencer Rattler is a third round pick because he’s a developmental number two quarterback who could start for us in a pinch.’ Other teams might say, ‘Hey, the size is a concern to us,’ or whatever it might be. ‘We view him more as like a fifth round pick.’ The range I imagine will be wide, depending on which teams you talk to during the pre-draft process. But, I expect him to be, if not attended, definitely invited to one of the all-star games. I think he’ll have a chance to show some of the natural skills that at one point in his career during his Oklahoma days had people wondering if this could be a future first round pick.”

One thing Yates feels like won’t go unnoticed by NFL teams is that Rattler was coached by Dowell Loggains. The upside of learning from a former NFL offensive coordinator goes beyond just X’s and O’s.

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“The reality for a quarterback, especially when you’re the starter, in general you’re the CEO of the company. When you have people shining the light bright on you 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it’s not just about how you play on the field. It’s how do you comport yourself off the field? How do you handle yourself publicly? What do you do during times of adversity? What do you do when others aren’t doing their job at a satisfactory level? Do you point fingers… I think the experience of Dowell this year will be valuable for Spencer. I think he’s gonna be one of those players, regardless of where he gets drafted, he’l’ start a few games at some in his career and we’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, I remember that kid. I remember why he was so highly touted at point during his college career.’ I’m a fan, and if you’re a team looking for a number two quarterback in this year’s draft I think Spencer Rattler certainly fits the bill.”

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