COLUMBIA — When South Carolina football's Spencer Rattler wasn't selected after three rounds of the 2024 NFL draft, reports began circulating back to when the quarterback was 17 years old. And, when Rattler still wasn't selected after four rounds, later than pre-draft projections showed, the narrative grew louder.

The conversations about Rattler centered around his appearance on Netflix's "QB1: Beyond the Lights" when he was a senior at Pinnacle High School, which showed Rattler criticizing his teammates.

Reporter Ian Rapoport said during an appearance on the NFL Network that "Spencer Rattler did a reality show in high school ... it did not make him look great and it is unbelievable how many different teams mentioned to me the image in that show and how they can't get it out of their heads."

Rattler was eventually selected 150th overall, in the fifth round, by the New Orleans Saints on Saturday.

The storyline began haunting Rattler to start draft the final day of the draft but Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer quickly came to his defense on social media.

"Such a tired , lazy narrative. And bullcrap," Beamer wrote. "None of the NFL teams that called me said that….And any team that thinks that clearly hasn’t done their research. He dealt w adversity at OU in a class way , came to SC , was a great player and was voted by his TEAMMATES as a captain …TWO YEARS IN A ROW. He’s a great person , great player and some team is getting a future starter today."

Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains also referenced the show and defended Rattler during media availability on April 18.

The show is no longer on Netflix but the theory likely refers to a scene from where Rattler blames his receivers for dropped passes and what some of said, where Rattler was a bad teammate and poor leader, cursing with and at his teammates.

Out of high school, Rattler threw for 11,083 yards, 116 passing touchdowns and was rated him the No. 1 prospect in the 2019 recruiting class by 247Sports Composite. He committed to Oklahoma, where he played two seasons before transferring to the Gamecocks in 2021.

ESPN broadcaster Molly McGrath defended Rattler on social media, saying "Spencer has changed so much since high school and that experience made him a more self-aware, humble person. I guarantee 99% of people would regret how they looked if cameras followed them around in high school. Spencer is a good guy, great leader, and this whole narrative is BS."

Many draft experts predicted Rattler would be selected in round two or three, potentially even in the first round.

RATTLER'S DRAFT JOURNEY: Spencer Rattler still waiting in 2024 NFL draft after no quarterbacks picked in Round 2, 3

With the Saints pick, Rattler became the first QB out of South Carolina to be drafted since Todd Ellis in 1990.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Did QB Spencer Rattler's draft stock plummet due to Netflix series?