Tanner McKee NFL Draft Scouting Report

QB, Stanford Cardinal

Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee was a consensus four-star recruit and top-5 pocket passer in the nation. McKee was a multi-sport athlete in high school with football, basketball, and volleyball. He is second all-time in passing yards at his prep school. Prior to enrolling at Stanford, McKee spent two years in Brazil on a Latter Day Saints mission. He enrolled in 2020 but did not become the starting quarterback until 2021. 

McKee immediately checks the height requirement boxes. McKee has the advantage of standing tall in the pocket with a full view of his route options over his offensive line. He is a throwback-style quarterback that thrives on winning from the pocket. When protected, McKee can distribute the football with confidence. He is most effective when attacking the short and intermediate areas of the field. This season, Stanford implemented more deep-mesh RPO into their offense, along with designed boots/rollouts. McKee did not look like a fish out of water and operated them effectively. 

When McKee is on, he looks like one of the better pure passers in the country. He has round-one-level arm strength and talent. McKee can drive passes into tight windows with optimal velocity. Far hash throws are not difficult for McKee to complete. He is improving on throwing the back shoulder fades to bigger receivers on the perimeter. Due to the amount of play-action and RPO run, McKee has good ball-handling skills. He sells the handoff well to manipulate second-level defenders to free space and hit routes behind them. 

As stated above, McKee is a throwback pure pocket passer. This style is not viewed as highly as it once was decades ago. McKee does not provide/offer any adlib or improvisational skills to an offense. McKee is still learning and developing to throw with the combination of touch and ball placement. He struggles with taking RPMs off his passes and layer the ball on downfield attempts. He shortens throwing windows by double-hitching and being late to the draw. He trusts his arm talent too much and puts the ball in compromising positions.  

Due to him not being a fleet-footed passer, the offensive line will need to be well-built to maximize his chances of success at the next level. McKee struggles with handling pressure. His completion percentage dropped from 66.5% when kept clean in the pocket to 41% when pressured. Free runners will neutralize McKee immediately. He does not have the foot speed or agility to evade them and create second-reaction throws. Once he is moved off his spot, his overall accuracy dips. McKee is a “by design” quarterback. When things are dialed up and executed to the design, he can operate well within structure. Making plays out of structure is not in McKee’s wheelhouse. 

McKee’s development is still a work in progress. His upside is limited due to the lack of physical and athletic tools. His upside depends upon developing his mental game to a hall-of-fame level, similar to Tom Brady, Drew Brees, etc. I envision and expect McKee to come in as a backup quarterback early on behind an established veteran quarterback.

Top Reasons to Buy In:

• Prototypical size/build
• Arm talent
• Variety of arm angles

Top Reasons For Concern:

• Cannot create outside of structure
• Inconsistent accuracy/ball placement
• Slow/plodding footwork

Size (NFL Combine):

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 231 lbs

Arm Length: 32 7/8”

Hand Size: 9 3/8”

Athletic Testing (NFL Combine):

40-yard Dash: TBD

Vertical Jump: 33”

Broad Jump: 9’6”

Three-Cone: 7.22

Ideal Role: Backup/developmental quarterback 

Scheme Fit: West Coast

Prospect Comparison: Mike Glennon

TDN Consensus Grade: 74.00/100 (Fourth-Round Value)

• Parson Grade: 74.00/100

Written By: Damian Parson

Exposures: Arizona State (2022), Oregon (2022), Notre Dame (2022), Utah (2022)

Tanner McKee NFL Draft Scouting Report. Add him to your big board here.