About the Idea of Vikings Drafting Tanner McKee in Round 1..
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will turn 35 this summer, making it a reasonable offseason to contemplate eventual next steps at QB1.
Cousins tied an NFL record in 2022 for game-winning drives in a single season with eight, and his team won 13 games despite a defense that ranked 30th in points allowed. With those irrefutable facts on the board, Cousins probably deserves to lead the Vikings in 2023 and perhaps 2024.
About the Idea of Vikings Drafting Tanner McKee in Round 1..
But the cold hard truth is that Cousins hasn’t taken the franchise past the postseason’s Divisional Round, and five years is a large sample size. Accordingly, some outfits like ESPN, for example, believe Minnesota could select the “next guy” in this year’s draft.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid mentioned Tanner McKee as a possible fit for the Vikings two weeks ago. He wrote, “I’m looking at McKee’s ability off play-action and comfort from multiple pre-snap platforms here. He’d be a great fit for Kevin O’Connell’s offense in Minnesota.”
“He is a quick decision-maker who operates well from a clean pocket, and while Kirk Cousins is the team’s locked-in starter moving forward, McKee would be a developmental prospect who could become a solid backup option in a scheme that suits his strengths,” Reid added.
While the sentiment is correct — the Vikings would be well within a logical sphere to draft Cousins’ replacement now to watch and learn for a year or two — McKee isn’t the right man. Here’s why.
Not a Mobile QB
If the Vikings are going to do this thing — do it right. And do it with a modern thinking cap.
McKee isn’t completely immobile, but he’s about as mobile as a young Cousins. With the Washington Commanders, Cousins could scoot around a little bit, and that’s likely what fans should expect from McKee as a young man.
However, if the Vikings divorce Cousins in 2024 or 2025, bring on a contemporary-style quarterback. You know — like the types reaching conference championships in Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Jalen Hurts.
Pocket passers aren’t irrelevant or doomed, but the Vikings should “try something different” if 5-7 years with a pocket passer didn’t take them to the Promised Land.
Spend 2023 draft capital on Anthony Richardson — if the team is indeed plotting a plan for the next QB1.
McKee Would Be a ‘Reach’
The NFL Combine hasn’t even occurred, and McKee is somehow getting shoved into a 1st-Round prospect status. It’s a little early.
Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings described McKee’s draft projection last month, “McKee has enough physical upside to drive his stock up down the stretch. But off the available tape, he grades as a mid-to-late Day 3 prospect in the developmental mold. One could argue McKee declared a year early, but regardless, he’ll generate interest from a number of teams.”
This phrase, coupled with the “Vikings should draft Tanner McKee with the 23rd pick,” is unnerving: “He grades as a mid-to-late Day 3 prospect.”
It’s unbelievable McKee is even being considered by draft brains for the Vikings in Round 1.
His Pro Comp Is Mike Glennon
Mike Glennon? Really?
If you’re a Vikings fan — you probably are if you’re reading this — do you really want the next two years to be about developing the next Mike Glennon when life after Cousins arrives? What a letdown.
The Draft Network lists it as plain as day, “Ideal Role: Backup/developmental quarterback. Scheme Fit: West Coast. Prospect Comparison: Mike Glennon. TDN Consensus Grade: 74.00/100 (4th-Round Value).”
You should run for the hills from this proposed solution. What’re we doin’ here?
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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