Tanner McKee is one of the wilder quarterback evaluations I think I’ve ever undertaken. A devout Mormon, McKee has missed a lot of football while working a two-year mission for his church. He has all of the arm talents in the world, and despite his flawed mechanics, he can throw accurately across the field. His mechanics and polish aren’t there yet, but the arm talent is there. 

Is there upside to Tanner McKee’s game? Yes. Is there obtainable upside? Very unlikely. A lot of McKee’s problems stem from his lack of a platform as well as his unorthodox release, which looks like it messes with his upper body mechanics. His ability to read the field wasn’t great, either, as he missed reads and wide open receivers routinely and struggled to read coverages. 

Tanner Mckee showing off his arm strength and accuracy with this laser to Elijah Higgins converting for the first down.

Two deeper names to watch in the NFL draft this year. pic.twitter.com/H9r2FA0PJt

— Jeremy (@PopesFFH) February 15, 2023

Injured his kneecap in 2021 that forced him to miss several games. 

Tanner McKee’s scouting report

Quarterback Ability (65)

Arm Talent: 20

• Arm Strength (8.5/10) – Arm strength is special. Shows the ability to drive the football into the intermediate-to-deep levels of the field with velocity and through tight windows. Could have a top-ten arm in the league. 
• Touch Ability (4/5) – Excellent touch ability. Throws very well with timing and anticipation. 
• Release (2.5/5) – Release is horribly wonky and over-extended. Release point is low, looks awkward coming off of his hand. 

Accuracy/Placement: 25

• Accuracy (9.5/15) – McKee is impressive with his accuracy. Fairly consistent too. When he’s rattled, which was a lot at Stanford, his accuracy really starts to drop off. 
• Placement/Vision (7.5/10) – Placement is out of this world at times. Does a good job throwing receivers open. Consistently places well. 

Pocket Presence: 10

• Pocket Positioning (2.5/5) – Pocket positioning could certainly see some improvement. Struggles to set in the pocket with space at times. 
• Pocket Maneuverability (3/5) – Does not show that natural feel for the pocket or the ability to get away from pressure. Lacks some athleticism so McKee is pretty well limited to the pocket. 

Footwork: 10

• Consistency (3/5) – Platform is very inconsistent. Doesn’t shuffle his feet and reset when moving off of a read. Tries to keep feet active while in the pocket looking downfield. 
• Quickness (3/5) – Average foot speed. Looks a little bit heavy at times. 

Athleticism (20)

Mobility: 12

• Outside of the pocket (4.5/7) – Can get outside of the pocket but doesn’t throw well on the move. Moves well to space. 
• Downfield Ability (2/5) – Below average runner as a quarterback. Will not be able to do much as a runner. Field vision is bad.

Improvability: 8

• Natural Improvability (1.5/4) – Not much of an improviser. Very content to take the sack and just go down to the ground. 
• Play Extension (2/4) – Doesn’t have the mobility to effectively extend the play. Doesn’t really flash the ability, either. 

Intelligence (15)

Football IQ/Field Vision: 10

• Football Intelligence (2.5/5) – Doesn’t show that he has an internal clock. Tends to hold onto the ball too long. Has a good feel for extraordinary situations. 
• Ability to read pre-snap (2.5/5) – Doesn’t pick up on a lot of pre-snap reads or movement. Struggles to read the field effectively. 

Overall: (65) – 5th/7th Round