The waiting game is over for Spencer Rattler.
The Saints grabbed the top quarterback remaining in the 2024 NFL Draft with the No. 150 overall pick on Saturday.
He was the first quarterback taken since the run of six in the first 12 picks on Thursday night.
“This is a guy who has been through a lot of adversity, faced a lot of criticism and come out on the other side,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. “He’s got a skill set we want to work with, just from an arm talent standpoint and the ability to make all the throws.”
Derek Carr is the incumbent starter for the Saints, but there is a potential competition brewing for his replacement between Rattler, Taysom Hill and Nathan Peterman.
Rattler was the first quarterback to be taken since Bo Nix in the first round.
It was the longest span of picks (137) between quarterbacks since 1972, according to The Athletic.
Rattler started his college career in Oklahoma after he was the No. 1 quarterback recruit out of Pinnacle High School in Phoenix.
Projected as the potential No. 1 overall pick at the start of his sophomore year with the Sooners in 2021, he lost his job to Caleb Williams and transferred to South Carolina, where he started the past two years.
In his senior season with the Gamecocks, he racked up 3,186 yards for 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
— with AP