The New Orleans Saints made a significant move during the fifth round of the NFL Draft by selecting South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler. This selection marked the first quarterback taken since the first round, breaking a streak of consecutive picks without a quarterback being chosen.
Spencer Rattler became the first quarterback selected since the opening round of the draft, where six quarterbacks were chosen. Reflecting on his selection, Rattler expressed gratitude, stating, “At the end of the day it’s a blessing to get picked wherever. I knew we were waiting around a day or two but I had faith that I would be picked today. … I was very happy the Saints came and picked me, what a great feeling.”
Prior to the draft, Rattler had visited New Orleans and had dinner with Saints quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, indicating potential interest from the team in selecting him.
Rattler now joins a quarterback room led by starting quarterback Derek Carr, alongside veterans Kellen Mond and Nathan Peterman, as well as 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener.
Rattler now joins the Saints’ quarterback roster, which includes Derek Carr, Kellen Mond, Nathan Peterman, and Jake Haener. He was the third pick for the Saints in the 2024 draft, following selections of Taliese Fuaga and Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Saints coach Dennis Allen clarified on Friday that the team did not pursue any trades to move up in order to select one of the first six quarterbacks taken in the opening round.
“I think anytime there’s a quarterback you think has a chance to be your future quarterback, then I think it’s always something that you’re going to consider,” Allen explained. “There was zero effort on our part to move up for a quarterback. … Obviously we feel good about the quarterbacks that we have and yet I think you’re always looking to make sure that you’re secure in your future. But that was not a position that we targeted and said we’ve got to move up and go get one of these guys. And it really wasn’t a position that we were really considering at 14.”
Rattler, a fifth-year senior at South Carolina, previously spent three college seasons at Oklahoma. Throughout his collegiate career, he amassed impressive statistics, completing 68.5% of his passes for 10,807 yards, 77 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions.
Rattler’s accomplishments include being named the Senior Bowl MVP this Spring and his participation in the Netflix docuseries “QB1: Beyond the Lights” during his high school years.
Dowell Loggains, Rattler’s offensive coordinator at South Carolina, praised his leadership qualities and character, emphasizing his impact on the team during the 2023 season.
“The guy that I got to coach for a year, I’m a better person for coaching him,” Loggains said. “I saw a guy that was a great teammate, a guy that was humble and treated people well. … He was the leader of the quarterback room, not myself, and the only way you can become a leader is if the other guys in the room know you care about him. All the guys rallied around him.”
