Report: Stanford QB Tanner McKee Visiting the Vikings Ahead of 2023 Draft
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings apparently have a pretty busy day scheduled for Tuesday. Not only do they have LSU guard Anthony Bradford and USC CB Mekhi Blackmon visiting in Eagan today, but according to a report by Darren Wolfson of KSTP, the Vikings also have Stanford QB Tanner McKee on a visit today.
McKee is the second known QB to visit the Vikings this offseason, joining UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who spoke with Minnesota at the NFL scouting combine and took a visit to Eagan as well.
Widely considered a Day 2 pick in this month’s draft, McKee is largely known for his ability as a pocket passer rather than his creativity outside of it. This differs from some of the other top prospects in this class such as Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, or Will Levis.
While McKee is a bit of a statue, he does have some sneaky athleticism that allows him to move around in the pocket to avoid pressure. Just don’t expect him to take off and gain big yardage with his legs. If the Vikings were to target him in the draft, here are some of the positives that fans can expect via his scouting report as part of PurplePTSD’s Vikings Draft Thermometer series:
The numbers won’t jump off the page, nor will Stanford’s team success with McKee as the starter (finishing 3-9 in both 2021 and 2022). However, while it’d certainly be easier to call him a top QB prospect if we could pair his skillset along with the team success that guys like CJ Stroud and Bryce Young have enjoyed, not all of this falls on McKee. A big problem with Stanford was a lack of receiver talent throughout McKee’s tenure. A number of throws from McKee hit receivers in the hands, and they simply dropped them.
However, in terms of actual skillset, McKee brings ideal arm strength to the table, and he can fit passes into very tight windows on a regular basis, even though he isn’t always rewarded with completions.
In all, McKee is exactly what we’d call a “prototypical QB” prospect in terms of size, arm talent, and underrated mobility in the pocket. He isn’t the most exciting prospect, and certainly doesn’t have the highest ceiling, but he is a “low risk” prospect heading into the NFL.
The Vikings seem poised to look for their starting QB of the future this offseason, especially after Kirk Cousins didn’t receive a new contract extension. The most likely way to do this is through the draft, especially considering Cousins’ $28.5 million dead cap hit if he is no longer on the team in 2024. A quarterback on a rookie contract offsets much of that.
As aforementioned, an ideal scenario would have the Vikings targeting McKee sometime in the latter half second day of the draft or even in Day 3 if they are interested in the Stanford product. The 2023 NFL Draft is set to begin on Thursday, April 27th.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.