South Carolina Football mock draft: Stock up and stock down for Gamecocks after the Senior Bowl

Spencer Rattler
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6'0" Weight: 219 Pounds
40 Time: 4.8
Draft Projection High: Late 1st Round
Draft Projection Low: Late 4th Round

Spencer Rattler has been on the NFL Draft radar for what feels like a decade. As one of the country's highest-profile prospects in high school, Rattler was well-known as a 16-year old quarterback in Arizona, and his five years in college at Oklahoma and South Carolina kept him in the public eye the entire time since.

Rattler has always been viewed as a player who could really throw the football, and, while he is not a dual-threat, he has enough athleticism to make some things happen with his legs as a play-extender or even as a 1st down scrambler. His biggest drawbacks as a player were decision-making and maturity, two areas that he drastically improved after joining the South Carolina football program.

Like his top target this season Xavier Legette, draft opinions of Spencer Rattler are all over the place, but Rattler's stock objectively is on the way up. #7 (rocking the retired-at-South-Carolina #2 in Mobile) dominated at the Senior Bowl. He was selected as the quarterback MVP by his defensive teammates, and he was picked as the Senior Bowl game MVP, as well, as he went 4-4 with an impressive 29-yard touchdown pass.

Almost unanimously, Rattler was the player who helped his NFL Draft stock the most at the collegiate all-star showcase, and he has seen draft mocks place him as high as the back end of the 1st round in recent days.

With the variance in Rattler's projected value and the draft's high number of NFL-caliber quarterbacks, he likely won't be the first Gamecock taken this year, but he should be the second. His stock is rising, and with expected solid showings at the NFL Scouting Combine and South Carolina football Pro Day, that stock could keep rising all the way to April.

It would make a lot of sense if the New York Jets found a way to draft the Gamecock gunslinger. They will be getting rid of 1st round bust Zach Wilson, and they still have a year or two left from their veteran starter Aaron Rodgers. Allowing Rattler a season or two to sit behind Rodgers (much like Rodgers sat behind Brett Favre) could be the best thing for the talented quarterback. They are very similar style players (not overly big quarterbacks with some mobility who have rocket arms), and Rodgers learned how to limit his interceptions, something that would be a great mentoring point from the veteran to Rattler.

If the Jets are to take Spencer Rattler, the team's third round pick would be the one. There is a chance another team would take Rattler before the 72nd pick, but the Jets also could trade up if needed. Even with horrible quarterback play in 2023 while Rodgers was injured, the Jets managed to win 7 games. The roster is good and could be a nice environment for a young quarterback to develop.