Report: Vikings Hosting Stanford QB Tanner McKee on Pre-Draft Visit
The Vikings hosted Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee for a pre-draft visit at TCO Performance Center on Tuesday, according to KSTP's Darren Wolfson.
There's a clear top tier of quarterbacks in this year's draft class, which consists of Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis. After them, Hendon Hooker — a popular Vikings first-round pick in mock drafts of late — is the consensus No. 5 at the position. Beyond that quintet, there are a wide range of quarterbacks with an argument as the sixth-best prospect in the class. That includes players like Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jake Haener, Jaren Hall, Clayton Tune — and McKee.
McKee didn't put up huge numbers over his two seasons as Stanford's starter, throwing for 5,274 yards with a 63.4 percent completion rate and 28 touchdowns to 15 interceptions, adding six rushing scores. Still, he has a lot of the traits NFL teams look for in quarterbacks. For starters, McKee has excellent size at 6'6", 230 pounds. He's a traditional pocket passer with major arm strength and the ability to make throws at all three levels when he's on his game.
If this were 20 years ago, McKee might be a first-round pick. But teams value athleticism at the position more than ever these days, and McKee isn't going to give you any dual-threat ability. He doesn't have quick footwork in the pocket and he struggles to create outside of structure. What that means is pressure really bothers him. If he's given a clean pocket, McKee can pick defenses apart — although his accuracy and decision-making can be somewhat inconsistent. If the offensive line isn't playing well, McKee probably isn't going to be able to make up for that.
Some analysts like McKee more than others. Pro Football Focus has him as the No. 37 overall player and No. 5 quarterback on its board, ahead of Hooker. PFF's Mike Renner, a vocal McKee fan, mocked him to the Vikings in the first round back in January. Renner likes McKee's accuracy and processing ability, noting that Stanford was a difficult offensive environment for him to succeed in.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler, meanwhile, has McKee as his ninth-ranked quarterback in the class.
Overall, McKee is an accurate rhythm passer and prepped in a multiple-read offense, but there weren’t many second-chance plays on tape and his lack of mobility will be tough to overcome versus next-level speed. His NFL projection is similar to that of Mike Glennon coming out of college.
On Pro Football Network's consensus big board, which averages prospect rankings from all across the internet, McKee is the No. 107 player and No. 6 quarterback. He could go as early as the third round, but early on Day 3 feels more likely.
Adding McKee in, say, the fourth round would be a reasonable low-risk move for the Vikings. He's actually somewhat similar to Kirk Cousins, a former fourth-round pick, as a prospect. Having Cousins' career is probably McKee's ceiling, and he'll need to become borderline elite with his accuracy and processing to make that happen.
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