Those who are already preparing for the 2022 NFL draft may want to get acquainted with Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler.
From Sam Bradford to Baker Mayfield, the Sooners have sent no shortage of quarterbacks to the NFL over the last decade-plus. Rattler, a former reality TV star, might be next to join those two — and Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray — among those selected in the first round.
Rattler is an early candidate to go No. 1 in the 2022 NFL draft
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Outside of Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, projecting the 2021 NFL draft was a crapshoot. Trying to predict who will be selected in the first round next year or where they’ll be taken is often borderline impossible.
There are always the exceptions, whether it’s a generational prospect like Lawrence or an elite talent like Rashawn Slater, the Los Angeles Chargers’ rookie offensive tackle. But few, if any, could have guessed at this time last year that Wilson or Mac Jones would’ve been selected among the first 15 picks.
So with that out of the way, guessing where Spencer Rattler will go in the 2022 NFL draft — assuming he declares — is a fool’s errand. With that said, the Sooners quarterback is already emerging as an early candidate to be selected first overall.
SportsLine gave Rattler +300 odds to be the top pick in 2022. He narrowly trails North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell, who had +200 odds. Most mock drafts and sportsbooks are listing the two quarterbacks in either order, and both regularly appear among the draft’s top overall prospects regardless of position.
Rattler has come a long way since being a reality TV star
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After sitting most of the 2019 season and watching Jalen Hurts dominate for Oklahoma, Rattler took over the reins in 2020.
The redshirt freshman completed 67.5% of his passes for 3,301 yards, 28 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He threw 11 touchdowns against only two interceptions over his final five games.
Oklahoma won its final eight games after a 1-2 start. The Sooners routed Florida, 55-20, in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 30.
Before he took over as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, Rattler rose to prominence on QB1: Beyond The Lights, a Netflix series that follows some of the country’s top high school quarterback prospects. Along with Lance LeGendre and Nik Scalzo, he appeared in the show’s third and most recent season.
LeGendre began his career at Maryland and currently plays for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Scalzo tore his ACL in his first training camp at Kentucky during the summer of 2019. He did not play a snap in 2020 and is currently in the transfer portal.
What other quarterbacks could go early in the 2022 NFL draft?
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Rattler is an early candidate to be selected atop the 2022 NFL draft, but he isn’t alone among quarterbacks.
As of May 2021, he and Howell, the young quarterback from North Carolina, each hold high draft stock. Howell, who turns 21 in September, has thrown 68 touchdowns to 14 interceptions over the last two seasons.
Football fans should also get to know Malik Willis, the starting quarterback at Liberty. A dual-threat quarterback who began his career at Auburn, Willis completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,260 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 2020. He also ran for 944 yards and 14 touchdowns on 6.7 yards per carry.
Betting odds courtesy of SportsLine as of May 17, 2021.
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