When listening to early chatter about the 2023 NFL Draft, checking out early mock drafts and the like, one name that is being floated around is Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee, who won the starting quarterback job last year and is entering his junior year in 2022. McKee is now the bona fide starter on this Stanford team and he is looking to make the most of it by having a breakout junior year.
Getting right to it, if McKee has the kind of season that he is hoping to have, he very well could end up being a top 15 pick in 2023 or better. At 6’6”, 226 pounds, he has great size and quickness. Very light feet in the pocket. He also has a killer arm and an ability to make NFL-level throws by throwing in tight windows. There are just some throws he makes that set him apart from other quarterbacks.
On top of having the physical tools, McKee is also a high IQ player. In his sophomore year he had 15 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions for a touchdown to interception ratio above 2.0. That ratio should improve in his junior year as he gets even more comfortable with the system and being a quarterback at this level. He has a good feel of when to run, when to slide, when to throw it away, and when to take the sack. He rarely makes bad decisions.
“For sure, I mean just knowing the down and distance,” McKee said of how he decides whether to run or slide. “Fourth down, obviously gotta do what you can. First and ten, scramble, get as many yards as you can, get down; preserve your body. So, just kinda being smart with the football, knowing the down and distance. Knowing the situation. Knowing the game clock and the score. All that comes into play when you’re scrambling as a quarterback.”
Another thing McKee has going for him is he has good receiving targets to throw to. Michael Wilson, Elijah Higgins, Brycen Tremayne, E.J. Smith, Bryce Farrell, John Humphreys, and Benjamin Yurosek are all outstanding targets for McKee to work with in the passing game. On top of that, freshmen Mudia Reuben, Sam Roush, and C.J. Hawkins should bring something to the table as well along with other guys I haven’t mentioned. By having a good group of guys to throw the ball to, McKee will have a chance to thrive and put up big numbers.
“Yeah, I mean, we always have weapons,” McKee said. “We always know that in the game of football, the first eleven guys that walk out on the field game one probably are not going to be the same eleven guys that go out game ten. So, next guys up. Everyone’s preparing like they’re gonna be the starter. Like they’re gonna get playing time because it very well may happen. So we have a lot of talented guys, a lot of young guys that are coming in that have a lot of potential that we just need to get the plays down and they’re gonna be great contributors to the team.”
Perhaps the biggest thing McKee has going for him is the fact that he has last year under his belt. He’s been the starter before and knows what it’s like. Having that experience is invaluable and should serve him well.
“Yeah, it’s going to be huge,” Stanford head coach David Shaw said of McKee having a year under his belt. “There’s nothing like experience. No matter how talented you are, the more experience you have, the better you’re going to be. So he had a lot of great experience and the good and bad of experience is sometimes those aren’t good experiences. Sometimes they’re difficult experiences that you learn from, that you grow from.
“Heard Steve Young talking a long time ago and that was one of the things he said, like you have to screw it up to really learn it. You don’t have to learn anything on the chalk board. You have to say oh, gosh, I threw an interception there. I can’t do that anymore. Oh, I made this bad decision. Ok, great. Now I know I can’t do that anymore.
“So I think there’s a lot of things negative that he learned from, but also a lot of really good things that he did that I thought he was really a little bit ahead of the curve last year. So hopefully, we’ll pick up where we hope he is and really has a chance to be a special special quarterback.”
McKee has had time to reflect on what went well last season, what he could have done better, and what he needs to do to improve. The main thing he’s working on is just getting a better overall understanding and feel for the game. While his IQ is already really high, iron sharpens iron. Smart players always find ways to get even more intelligent on the field.
“I would say for me just the little things,” McKee said of what he’s most been working on. “Keeping my base so I’m always ready to throw instead of maybe having happy feet in the pocket or not ready to throw at certain points. Also reading defenses. I feel like I have another year under my belt of seeing defensive disguises, tilts, and things like that. Just understanding the entire game of football. Why we were calling this play, what we’re expecting, what we’re looking for, what are my answers versus hots or cover zero, cover one, things like that. So, just knowing the full game of football and being able to apply those things into our specific offense.”
“Well, I typically have a range for the quarterbacks, right?” Shaw said when asked what he’s been telling McKee to focus on. “Where it’s kind of get in, learn what to do, get comfortable, then it’s go out there and be efficient. Play smart, play, and then you get to the point of mastery and dominance and hopefully he’s getting closer to that. Got comfortable, made some plays last year, and now really it’s about taking his game plan in the palm of his hand and really playing at a high level. He’s capable, he’s still young. [Let me put it] this way: He's still gaining experience, he’s not young. He’s still gaining experience, but I think this has a chance to be a breakout year for him.”
On top of becoming a better pure football player, McKee also is hoping to become a better overall leader. He already seemed to have a good command of the locker room last season. But now it’s about becoming more vocal and more confident in his ability to lead this team.
“Yeah for sure, I mean, I’m trying to take a little more of a leadership role,” McKee said. “I was saying before, I’m trying to be more of a vocal leader more than, you gotta be a role model as well, but trying to be more of a vocal guy to get guys going, energize people a little more. And so just taking on that role for me I feel like has been different from last year to this year.”
Bringing this all back to McKee’s 2023 draft stock, I think his stock is high right now though a lot of it is tied up in his potential. He’s got the physical tools, he’s got the IQ, he’s got the receivers, and he will have the experience. Probably the biggest thing is for him to stay healthy and make sure the offensive line does its job to protect him and give him the time to showcase his talents. If that part comes through for him, I agree with David Shaw that we’ll likely see a breakout year for McKee and an opportunity for him to go in the first round of the 2023 draft.
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