Philadelphia Eagles select Tanner McKee in 6th round of 2023 NFL Draft

There were points in Tanner McKee’s career where he was evaluated as one of the top quarterbacks in this class. Still, his NFL dream has now been realized regardless as the Philadelphia Eagles have selected the former Stanford QB in the 6th round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

McKee has been a two-year starter with the Cardinals after committing to them out of the 2018 class. In that class, McKee was a four-star prospect according to On3’s Industry Rankings. He was a Top-75 recruit nationally but was a Top-10 quarterback in the country.

2021 is when McKee got his first opportunity as Stanford’s QB1 as he opened in nine of their 10 games. In that campaign, he threw for 2,327 yards for a career-high 15 touchdowns the best completion rate of his college run at 65.4%. However, the team finished at just 3-8 in games where he appeared.

Then, in 2022, McKee returned and posted similar numbers. He threw for a career-high 2,947 yards for 13 touchdowns on a 62% completion percentage with 111 more passes. The Cardinals struggled again, though, as they won just three games for the second straight year.

Some have their concerns about McKee considering Stanford’s record and his lack of elite statistics while in the Pac-12. Even so, he has the floor to potentially be successful as a pro-level quarterback and will get his shot to do so now in Philadelphia.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about PLAYER NAME

To Lance Zierlein, he sees the size and physical components that allow McKee to fit the NFL mold. With that said, he does see some issues, specifically his throwing style and decision-making. There are plenty of pros in his evaluation still but, by the end, he thinks his cons might eventually hold him back from reaching a truly quality level.

“Long, tall pocket passer with better arm strength than arm talent as a passer. McKee throws with an unorthodox delivery that becomes even more irregular when he feels rushed. He can make all the NFL throws and delivers a tight spiral with good velocity on intermediate and deep throws to the field side,” Zierlein wrote. “However, his heavy feet and a lack of agility limit his effectiveness outside of the pocket and make him a magnet for pass rushers when protection becomes spotty. McKee clearly improved his throwing process in 2022, but he might lack the decision-making and functional mobility to make it in today’s NFL.”