Getty Spencer Rattler with Oklahoma in 2020.
The Detroit Lions haven’t even started the 2021 season, and already, folks are beginning to project what will happen in next year’s draft.
For teams that are projected to have a downright miserable 2021 year, it can be tempting to look ahead already and ponder what is to come after next season is complete. While that might be putting the cart ahead of the horse significantly, it’s still a major topic of conversation.
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Recently, Pro Football Network writer Oliver Hodgkinson put together a look at an early mock for next year, and had the Lions picking in the top spot. Within that spot, he had the team taking Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler.
He said:
“Although Jared Goff helped guide the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl appearance just two years ago, there’s no denying that he’s a downgrade on the outgoing Matthew Stafford. Their projection as the worst team in the NFL in 2021 by the Las Vegas odds is testament to this.
Despite the financial ramifications of Goff’s contract, they bring in Spencer Rattler to change the franchise’s fortunes. The Arizona high school record holder for passing yards suffered a shaky start to his first season as the starter for Oklahoma last year. However, his development through the season was remarkable. There’s no doubting his arm strength, pocket presence, and ability to make plays out of structure. Another season of consistent development should ensure he sews up the QB1 spot in the 2022 NFL Draft.”
Will the Lions be bad enough to generate the top overall pick? Many think that will be the case this coming season, as the Lions have been projected for the worst season in football by plenty of experts. Whether or not they are better than this remains to be seen, but if the team struggles, they might be primed to select a quarterback in the eyes of many.
The Lions may indeed be picking first overall, and if they do, some see them taking a quarterback. It’s very early, but it looks as if this will be a consensus.
Rattler’s Stats and Highlights
Obviously, heading into the 2021 college football season, Rattler is going to be one of the top players to watch and a guy who has a great shot of making his case to be the top overall selection for the Lions. Rattler has put up some interesting numbers with Oklahoma already, and in a pair of seasons with the Sooners, has 3,112 passing yards and 29 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions.
Here’s a look at some of Rattler’s highlights
There is major talent there, and many folks think that the Lions will be bad enough to get their hands on a top prospect like Rattler. Whether he can be the guy who claims this spot or not remains to be seen, but obviously, there’s
Current Lions Quarterback Situation
If there is an indictment on the Detroit quarterback situation more than Goff, it’s the backup role. Even when Matthew Stafford was in the mix, the Lions didn’t have the best backups in the league, and that cost the team when Stafford would get hurt. There’s a similar problem at this point. The Lions didn’t draft a young quarterback, and have unproven entities like Tim Boyle and David Blough on their roster. Neither could be counted on to win the Lions a big game if they happened to find themselves in the hunt and Goff went down. For this reason, Detroit’s spot on this list is probably justified for the 2021 season.
In the future, the Lions have to find a way to add a bigger time young arm to the mix, either to push Goff or serve as a more capable backup. Rattler obviously would be an intriguing way to do this if the Lions so choose in the future.