Spencer Rattler is set to get his first taste of regular-season NFL action on Sunday.
Derek Carr’s injury opened the door for the rookie to compete with Jake Haener for the starting job – and on Wednesday he was confirmed as the starter.
X @BallislifeRattler takes to the skies in high school[/caption]
Haener came in for Carr in the Week 5 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Saints have decided to see what they have in Rattler, who starred in preseason and has an intriguing ceiling.
Despite starring in college, the 24-year-old dropped to the fifth round in the NFL Draft.
Character concerns raised due to his appearance on Netflix Show QB1: Beyond the Lights were cited as the potential reason.
Rattler’s talent has never been in question and if his perceived immaturity was down to him being in High School when placed in front of a worldwide audience, the Saints may have unearthed a gem.
His athletic skills are not limited to the field, and a throwback video of the passer playing for the Pinnacle Pioneers basketball team showed he might have had a shot at the NBA.
Listed at six-foot-two and 180 pounds – two inches taller than his NFL Combine height – Rattler’s showreel displays a talented defender with plenty of burst.
His handling was strong, as you would expect from a football star, and he was not afraid to take three-pointers.
The final highlight sees Rattler break up the court and dunk on his helpless opponents.
Rattler’s basketball career ended with a State Championship as a junior – a season where he averaged 13.6 points per game.
He starred alongside Nico Mannion – a second-round pick for the Golden State Warriors in 2020, who is currently playing in Italy.
Carr is facing a spell on the sidelinesGetty
“It was an unbelievable feeling to go out like that,” Rattler told AZ Sports.
“I’ll miss basketball for sure.”
Rattler decided to move away from the court in his senior year after committing to Oklahoma.
He lost his spot as Sooners starter to Caleb Williams before joining the South Carolina Gamecocks to finish his college career.
Carr left Sunday’s defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs with an oblique injury and is expected to miss several weeks.
Second-year QB Haener took over for the rest of the fourth quarter.
Rattler now has the chance to prove he has grown since appearing on QB1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And his former college coach will not be surprised if he does just that.
“He is a great teammate,” Gamecocks offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains told 247 Sports after he was drafted,
“He is an unbelievable teammate. I guess there is a show, some show that was silly.
“I don’t think it portrayed him the right way from what I saw. What I see is an unbelievable guy that cares about his teammates.
“Go ask LaNorris Sellers, Luke Doty, Tanner Bailey what they think about Spencer Rattler.
“That was unbelievably close room because our leader. Our leader was Spencer. It was not me. I was Spencer.
“He did everything the right way and took everyone in. Cared about the other guys in the room.”
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