Analysis by Rob Baker, 49ers Clubhouse draft writer:
Another
guy that works hard on and of the field. Can be very accurate and has great
leadership ability. An excellent passer on the run and can find open receivers.
Rattay is perfectly suited to the West coast offence. Doesn’t have a strong
arm and his physical skills lack a bit, but he has great competitiveness
which may help him work to succeed in the NFL. Comments: If Steve
Young doesn’t return in 2000, and Giovanni Carmazzi starts, he’ll give
Jeff Garcia a fight for back-up privileges.
Info
from The Sporting News:
War
Room Analysis
Extremely
efficient and accurate passer but does not have arm strength to step in
and play right away at next level. Has trouble with outside routes. Deep
out pass doesn’t have enough zip; ball tends to float. Has decent footwork
and does best work out of shotgun formation. Setup is marginal; needs to
do better job of cocking arm and getting into throwing motion quicker.
Has great feel for position and passing game. Not a classic dropback passer
but does excellent job of working underneath. Sees whole field and does
outstanding job of finding second and third receivers. Good decision maker
with ball and finds open receiver but will have trouble in NFL because
teams will force him to make throws downfield and to the outside. Many
scouts and coaches fear he is a product of his college system and that
he will struggle with more complex passing scheme that may exploit marginal
arm strength.
Notable:
Finished career ranked second on all-time NCAA passing list; threw for
more than 200 yards in each of 33 starts.
Overall
grade: 20.0
Info from
Pro Football Weekly:
Notes:
Leading junior-college passer in the nation at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Junior
College in 1995. Came to Louisiana Tech in '96 and redshirted while learning
Gary Crowton's passing offense. Highly productive starter the last three
years who broke a slew of records. Completed 293 of 477 passes for 3,881
yards, 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 1997, 380-559-4,943-46-13
in '98 and 342-516-3,922-35-12 in '99, when he missed time with a right
ankle sprain. Lost Crowton and his go-to receiver, Troy Edwards, to the
NFL in '99.
Positives: Top competitor.
Tough guy. Hard worker. Knows the offense and works at reading defenses
and knowing defensive tendencies. Good instincts and intangibles, judgment
and poise. Accurate short passer. Has good timing and touch and can lay
the ball off nicely. Will stand in against the rush but also can throw
well on the move. Takes quick drops and can unload very quickly. Has been
very productive. Has a 115-35 TD-interception ratio and threw for 12,746
yards in just three years.
Negatives: Lacks ideal
size and a strong arm. Needs to do everything in rhythm and to be able
to set his feet and step into his throws to throw down the field with any
velocity or accuracy. Ball flutters at times. Gets passes batted down.
Plays in a dink-and-dunk, QB-friendly offense, and a lot of his production
comes on what amounts to long handoffs. Can only play in some types of
offenses where he would be throwing a lot of quick, short passes on rhythm
like the Bears are doing under Crowton.
Summary: Is not what
you're looking for in terms of physical tools, but he has enough other
things going for him that he should make a team which runs his type of
offense.
Info from CBS SportsLine:
This slick throwing passer finished
an outstanding career with the Bulldogs setting virtually every school
record in the process. Rattay has excelled in Tech's run and shoot offense
over his three seasons as a starter, after transferring from a one-year
stay at Scottsdale junior college. He has a fast delivery, with the ability
to quickly read plays and deliver the ball to the open receiver. He has
been the most productive passer in the nation over the past three seasons,
throwing for more than 12,000 yards. His senior season did not measure
up to his incredible junior effort, when he threw for almost 5,000 yards.
Both star wide receiver Troy Edwards
and head coach Gary Crowton left for the NFL after that campaign and the
brunt of the offense fell on his shoulders as a senior. He was impressive,
leading the nation in passing yards (3,922) with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions
as LSU finished 8-3. He is a smart athlete with keen instincts and good
intangibles. He has developed quick decision making in the run and shoot
attack, showing the rare ability for a young passer to find the secondary
receiver. He reads his progressions well, with the smarts to find the open
receiver. He has nice footwork and moves well in the pocket, although he
is not a scrambler.
His junior season was one of the
better performances in recent history. Working with Edwards, he was 380
of 559 for 4,943 yards with 46 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He combined
with Edwards to form an unstoppable duo and smoked a tough Nebraska defense
for an amazing 590 yards passing. He threw for over 300 yards in 10 of
the 12 games with four games over 500 yards.
He is best suited for the west
coast offense that relies on the quick passing game and movement. His lack
of experience in a pro style offense is a concern. He needs work on his
setup and handoffs while working under center. He needs extensive work
on his three-, five- and seven-step drops and must learn to pick up coverage
while setting up. At Senior Bowl practices he was sharp throwing the ball
and left a favorable impression. He lacks imposing size and arm strength
but he has learned how to win over his career, showing the savvy to get
the job done on a consistent basis.
He is not your classic pocket passer
and needs to create passing lanes with his mobility to be an effective
thrower. He throws a soft catchable passer that is delivered with nice
timing and velocity. He has an adequate arm with velocity and accuracy
to throw the deep ball. He has the field presence to direct an offense
and make the right decision consistently throughout a game. He is a passer
with some physical limitations, but ideal for the West Coast attack, with
the intangibles to eventually start. He'd make a nice middle-round pick.