2024 Senior Bowl takeaways: Spencer Rattler shines in all-star game, Joe Milton has tough day, more storylines

MOBILE, ALA. — The 75th Anniversary Team was honored at halftime of the Senior Bowl on Saturday, a who’s who that included NFL greats Terrell Owens, Hines Ward, Cornelius Bennett, Patrick Willis and LeRoy Butler, among others. And American Team quarterback Spencer Rattler wasted little time playing like a future member of the 100th Anniversary Team; the first drive of the game ended with a 29-yard dot to Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint in the back of the end zone on the type of throw he’ll be asked to make at the next level.

For as good as the throw was — up and away from Virginia State cornerback Willie Drew — Rosemy-Jacksaint, who didn’t drop a single pass for Georgia last fall, showed his ability to go up and make a difficult play look like something much less than that.

Rattler only played two series but was a clinical 4-for-4 for 65 yards, and Saturday’s performance put a bow on a solid week of work for the South Carolina quarterback who endured in the last four years what some players don’t face over an entire playing career. He was solid during the three days of practice, and even though he measured just a shade over 6-feet, his arm is as good as advertised, and he showed the ability to layer throws to the second and third level. We saw that in the fall, too, but in Mobile, Rattler was able to limit the turnovers and poor decisions that plagued him a season ago. 

We’re still early in the the pre-draft process, but Rattler could not have asked for a better start.

For more draft coverage, you can hear in-depth analysis twice a week on “With the First Pick” — our year-round NFL Draft podcast with NFL Draft analyst Ryan Wilson and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. You can find “With the First Pick” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Listen to the latest episode below!

Bo Nix made his case, too

Like Rattler, Oregon’s Bo Nix got the start for the National Team. Like Rattler, he played just two series. And like Rattler, he came out slinging; his very first snap was a deep ball that North Carolina’s Tez Walker couldn’t bring down.

Love the aggressive, love the throw — Nix’s deep ball at times came out too flat in the fall, but that wasn’t the case here — and you’d love to see Walker come down with what would’ve been a tough catch. But the game mirrored the three practices for Walker, who certainly looks the part of a big NFL wide receiver but struggled to catch the football. For Nix, he was 4-for-5 for 21 yards, including an athletic throw across his body for a goal line touchdown to Minnesota tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford.

Nix had gotten some first-round buzz coming into the week, and while we’ve had him as a Day 2 pick going back to the fall, he certainly didn’t hurt himself in Mobile.

Joe Milton had a tough day

In the last few years, it’s been easy to point to those quarterbacks who shined during the practices and those who struggled. This year, there wasn’t much to pick apart; all the quarterbacks looked like they belong. During the game, however, Joe Milton, who may have the biggest arm at any level of football, looked a lot like he did for Tennessee during the 2023 season. Which is to say: hesitant at times to pull the trigger on his first or second reads, looking to run the ball at the first sign of trouble, and then compounding a bad decision and making it worse. Early in the second quarter with the American Team driving, Milton moved to his right, then threw across his body — only to be intercepted by Oregon safety Evan Williams in the end zone. 

Then, late in the fourth quarter, on a miscommunication with the wide receiver, Milton was intercepted by Washington State cornerback Chau Smith-Wade, who quietly had a very good week. And he not-so-quietly took it back to the one-yard line on the return. (Smith-Wade ended the game on another interception, this time on a Hail Mary from Michael Pratt.)

It’ll be interesting to see how high Milton gets drafted. We’ve spoken to teams who are enamored with the upside, and the physical tools are undeniable. But you wonder how long it will take to bring it all together.

Other noteworthy efforts

Missouri running back Cody Schrader came into the season as an undrafted free agent — at best. And all he did was rush for 1,627 yards (5.9 YPC) and 14 touchdowns just two years after transferring from Truman State. On Saturday, he led the American Team in receiving, catching 5 passes for 54 yards and showing not just his shiftiness in space, but his ability to run through arm tackles at the second level.

Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman may have the best hair in Senior Bowl history, but he struggled through much of Saturday’s game, misfiring on intermediate throws we saw him make throughout the fall. It looked like he was headed for another incompletion on a quick toss to Luke McCaffrey, but the Rice standout, who had a solid week of practice, had the catch of the day.

This running back class won’t have any first-rounders, and most of the RBs in Mobile will likely end up as Day 3 selections. That doesn’t mean they won’t be productive at the next level; just that there aren’t any Jahymr Gibbs’ or Bijan Robinsons — or even Najee Harris’ in this class. That said, TCU’s Emani Bailey punctuated a good week with some hard running Saturday.

Bailey finished with 10 carries for 53 yards, and was second on the American roster with 4 receptions.