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He's a steal. He's got negatives, no doubt, but the situation, injuries, scheme, play-calling, and lack of talent absolutely tanked his ability to display top 50 talent.
The negatives
- Drifts backwards in the pocket
- can be late on throws/Needs a #1 WR
- decision making
- throw location can be spotty
- Goal line arm??
*Rattlers tendency to drift backwards in the pocket does him no favors. It's an annoying habit that helps the rush, he needs to get it cleaned up. He can be late on throws because he'll dial in on his trusted weapon and take too long come off it. He and a #1 WR w/ jump ball ability could make wonderful music together because if he trusts the guy, he'll throw him 50/50 balls when they need a play. Rattler and AT Perry should become fast friends. His decision making is a bit hero-ballish but not quite to the degree of Jameis. There was an INT vs Clemson that he threw and it's like....cmon man toss that away. In his defense it was a two-man route concept and the defense had seven people in coverage, so it was doomed from the start, but you've got to throw that away and keep possession. As far as throwing location, he's accurate, but sometimes the balls aren't in the best place, and it makes it a tougher catch. Again, I point back to him needing a WR like Perry or Lagette who have a large catch radius, they'll make him look better and he'll make them money. Finally, the goal line arm. I haven't seen him make a lot of plays down there. Especially off script plays where he's got to whip it into a tight space. There's one or two but it's not a common occurrence. Is he a QB that can finish in the redzone?
The Positives
- Agile in the pocket and in space
- Consistent throwing motion
- Tough SOB
- Good Processor
- Sturdier than he looks.
One of the first things you notice, because he's leaving the pocket so much, is that Rattler can shake a LB or S in a phone booth. Time and time again, he can give a little shimmy and break a defender down. That same agility shows up in the pocket where he can escape some sticky situations routinely. His throwing motion is very whip like, and I'm curious if the consensus on how good his arm is, ranges so much, is because it looks effortless. Some guys when they want to throw a harder ball, you can see it in the motion where they add more velocity, whether he's flicking it 40 yards away or 10, the motion looks the exact same. He's tough as nails with how much he can throw when staring down the barrel of a gun. He takes a ton of hits and pops back up, no worse for wear. There's no question if he'll hold up like we've had w/ Haener due to his slight frame. As a processor Rattler sees things pre and post snap well. You can see him demonstrate his ability to get to other reads from 2020 w/ Oklahoma all the way to 2024 w/ South Carolina. Again, the only knock is, when he needs a big play, he's going to his #1 WR.
With regards to how he treated his teammate in HS I'll say this:
Some people can't take what they dish out. I get the impression that Rattler can, and he's hard on people because he's hard on himself. He called the kid soft, and in his mind, while that may have been true, when you're going to war understanding which one of your teammates can accept harsh criticism, and which ones need positive reinforcement is paramount for a leader. Thus, for me, it's a lesson appropriately learned in youth. Maturity has likely taught him to be more wary of those aspects of battle so that he learns how to motivate each unique individual under his leadership.
Sitting behind Carr for a year, 2 years, 10 games...doesn't matter. If he gets to soak the game up and gets some good coaching in a great system, he's absolutely got the talent to be one of the best QB's from this class.
The negatives
- Drifts backwards in the pocket
- can be late on throws/Needs a #1 WR
- decision making
- throw location can be spotty
- Goal line arm??
*Rattlers tendency to drift backwards in the pocket does him no favors. It's an annoying habit that helps the rush, he needs to get it cleaned up. He can be late on throws because he'll dial in on his trusted weapon and take too long come off it. He and a #1 WR w/ jump ball ability could make wonderful music together because if he trusts the guy, he'll throw him 50/50 balls when they need a play. Rattler and AT Perry should become fast friends. His decision making is a bit hero-ballish but not quite to the degree of Jameis. There was an INT vs Clemson that he threw and it's like....cmon man toss that away. In his defense it was a two-man route concept and the defense had seven people in coverage, so it was doomed from the start, but you've got to throw that away and keep possession. As far as throwing location, he's accurate, but sometimes the balls aren't in the best place, and it makes it a tougher catch. Again, I point back to him needing a WR like Perry or Lagette who have a large catch radius, they'll make him look better and he'll make them money. Finally, the goal line arm. I haven't seen him make a lot of plays down there. Especially off script plays where he's got to whip it into a tight space. There's one or two but it's not a common occurrence. Is he a QB that can finish in the redzone?
The Positives
- Agile in the pocket and in space
- Consistent throwing motion
- Tough SOB
- Good Processor
- Sturdier than he looks.
One of the first things you notice, because he's leaving the pocket so much, is that Rattler can shake a LB or S in a phone booth. Time and time again, he can give a little shimmy and break a defender down. That same agility shows up in the pocket where he can escape some sticky situations routinely. His throwing motion is very whip like, and I'm curious if the consensus on how good his arm is, ranges so much, is because it looks effortless. Some guys when they want to throw a harder ball, you can see it in the motion where they add more velocity, whether he's flicking it 40 yards away or 10, the motion looks the exact same. He's tough as nails with how much he can throw when staring down the barrel of a gun. He takes a ton of hits and pops back up, no worse for wear. There's no question if he'll hold up like we've had w/ Haener due to his slight frame. As a processor Rattler sees things pre and post snap well. You can see him demonstrate his ability to get to other reads from 2020 w/ Oklahoma all the way to 2024 w/ South Carolina. Again, the only knock is, when he needs a big play, he's going to his #1 WR.
With regards to how he treated his teammate in HS I'll say this:
Some people can't take what they dish out. I get the impression that Rattler can, and he's hard on people because he's hard on himself. He called the kid soft, and in his mind, while that may have been true, when you're going to war understanding which one of your teammates can accept harsh criticism, and which ones need positive reinforcement is paramount for a leader. Thus, for me, it's a lesson appropriately learned in youth. Maturity has likely taught him to be more wary of those aspects of battle so that he learns how to motivate each unique individual under his leadership.
Sitting behind Carr for a year, 2 years, 10 games...doesn't matter. If he gets to soak the game up and gets some good coaching in a great system, he's absolutely got the talent to be one of the best QB's from this class.
