Report: Packers brought in QB Spencer Rattler for pre-draft visit

The Senior Bowl MVP is a possible option for Green Bay on Day 3 of the draft.

When the Green Bay Packers were on the clock for their second third-round pick of Day 3, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news that the team had brought in South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler for a pre-draft visit — something that had previously gone unreported up to this point. According to Rapoport, Rattler visited seven teams during the offseason.

Based on Arif Hasan’s consensus draft board, which takes into account of 96 boards, Rattler is easily the highest-ranked quarterback still available at 88th overall. Only one other passer, Tulane’s Michael Pratt (127th) ranks better than 178th overall.

Everyone knows that the team is going to get a mega deal done with starter Jordan Love. There is no question that Love is the future of the franchise. Everyone get their jokes in about Rattler sitting for four years so he can unseat Love now.

Now that that’s out of the way, it probably wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world for the team to spend a draft choice on the quarterback position, considering that Sean Clifford and Alex McGough are the team’s only backup options going into the 2024 season — a year in which the Packers expect to be contenders in the NFC again.

Green Bay is set to make eight draft choices on Day 3, which would limit their potential undrafted free agent rookie signings to just five players. Would it really be the worst thing if they invested a little bit in a backup quarterback, who would save them from spending on a veteran backup, that they could maybe flip after a few preseasons? That has to be the line of thinking.

Rattler was a super recruit who was ranked as a five-star prospect by both 247Sports and Rivals. He initially enrolled at Oklahoma to start his college career before being ousted by 2024 first overall pick Caleb Williams, leading to Rattler transferring to South Carolina for two seasons in the NCAA. There, Rattler was a two-year starter, bringing his career win-loss record to 28-14. During the pre-draft process, he was named the MVP of the Senior Bowl, too.

Rattler has a lot of arm talent, but there have been questions about his personality and off-field lifestyle since he was featured in the Netflix series QB1: Beyond the Lights as a high school player. Depending on how that visit with the Packers went, he would be an interesting rehab project for head coach Matt LaFleur, who has already proven he can develop a quarterback after Love’s 2023 season.