Ryan Fowler reports that the Atlanta Falcons hosted Senior Bowl standout quarterback Spencer Rattler from the University of South Carolina on a top-30 visit. Rattler currently projects to be a mid-to-late day-two pick.
General Manager Terry Fontenot confirms that Atlanta is to add another quarterback to the roster before training camp. With the depth of the quarterback position in this draft, this is a prime opportunity for the Falcons to take a chance on developing a quarterback behind Kirk Cousins and Taylor Heinicke.
Rattler is a tough study because of his struggles on and off the field in 2021 at his first stop in Oklahoma. On one hand, this led to the emergence of the projected number-one pick in this draft Caleb Williams, and his arrival at South Carolina, where he was able to mature. On the other hand, the stink of that 2021 season is tough to get out of people's minds, similar to Bo Nix and his time at Auburn before he transferred to Oregon.
Rattler didn't quite reach the same production in his two years at South Carolina that he did in his breakout 2020 season at Oklahoma, but he did mature as a quarterback and a leader in those final two seasons of work in the SEC.
Rattler has impressive arm talent and can make throws from different angles that not many quarterbacks in the NFL can make. Atlanta is in a unique position where, if they so choose, they can develop a quarterback behind the scenes while having them learn from one of the longer-tenured quarterbacks in Cousins.
