Steelers: A potential landing spot for the former “young phenom” QB.
The Pittsburgh Steelers can’t select a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. That’s why Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discussed the team’s other mid-round quarterback options in this year’s draft. Fittipaldo suggested South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler as a potential target.
“Rattler was a young phenom who scored 116 touchdowns to become the consensus No. 1 prospect in the 2019 recruiting class,” Fittipaldo wrote on Feb. 2. “Five years later, after an eventful college career, he fulfilled his dream of playing in the NFL.”
Fittipaldo brought the Steelers and Rattlers together because the team’s need for a quarterback was clear.
Even if the Steelers signed a free agent signal-caller to compete with Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh could still target a fourth quarterback in the draft to add depth. “I think the Steelers will need to add a quarterback and two this spring,” Fittipaldo wrote. “One of them could go through the draft, but selecting a quarterback early seems like a problem given their draft position and other positions that need immediate help. It is best to take one on the second or third day of your trip.
“Rattler and several other players could join the Steelers in the middle rounds of the draft.”
The Rattler posted a 68.9 percent completion percentage with 3,186 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions during the 2023 season. Why would it make sense for the Steelers to target Spencer Rattler?
The Steelers have enjoyed having three quarterbacks on their roster since drafting Pickett. Although the team could cut Mitch Trubisky and lose Mason Rudolph in free agency, Fittipaldo expects the Steelers to stick with three active signal-callers. The Rattlers don’t have the same starting experience as Pittsburgh’s three quarterbacks in 2023. However, he was able to secure a middle-of-the-rotation spot after a rocky college career. “I think at some point in your career you’re going to go through adversity, and I’m glad I went through it early in college,” Rattler said at the Senior Bowl over Fittipaldo. “Being involved in three different systems and two major conferences helps a lot. I feel like I’m ahead.
“There is still a lot to do. “I never want to settle, but I’m confident in where I’m going.”
Despite this setback, Rattler racked up over 10,000 yards and a 68.5% completion percentage in his college career. He also had 77 rebounds and 32 steals.
In 2022, he led South Carolina to an 8-5 record. The downsides of targeting the Rattler in the 2024 NFL draft
Targeting a player on Day 3 of the draft and hoping he becomes the next Dak Prescott is easier said than done.
It’s hard to find examples of successful quarterbacks on Day 2 or even Day 3 of the draft over the past decade. The most recent example of this is, of course, 2022 seventh-round pick Brock Purdy.
But Purdy is working with the league’s best offensive lineman and offensive specialist Kyle Shanahan. The Steelers and other teams can’t afford to try to replicate that for young signal-callers.
Almost every day, 3 players who have had some success in the league have made at least three or four. Because of this, Rattler’s design is fraught with risk. He probably won’t make much of a splash given his lackluster performance as a former No. 1 recruit. 1 in the country. It’s hard to imagine the Steelers overhauling their quarterback room by taking the Pilots to a signal-caller who posted a sack record during his senior year in college.
