05-03-2020, 09:41 PM
Five years ago as a staff writer for vikingsterritory, I successfully identified Danielle Hunter as a potential Vikings draft target in one of of my pre-draft articles. I hope my fifteen minutes of fame then will allow me to exercise my "authoritative hack" status when sharing my opinion on Nate Stanley in this forum.
With the 244th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected Nate Stanley in the seventh round. As a seventh round rookie, Stanley is looking at a $2.7 million, four-year deal with a $77,500 signing bonus.
So what exactly are the Vikings getting with Stanley. The obvious answer of course is “a career backup quarterback”. That answer is indeed spot on, but I think there might be more to Stanley than what first meets the naked eye.
Before Stanley took over the reins as the starting QB for the Iowa Hawkeyes, the team had lost their previous five consecutive bowl appearances between 2011 to 2016.
Stanley however, went on to flip that table and sets the Iowa record for bowl wins in a career with three. Stanley helped guide the Hawkeyes to wins over Boston College in the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl, Mississippi State in the 2019 Outback Bowl, and USC in the Holiday Bowl. In those three wins, Stanley was 47 of 73 for 526 yards 6 TDs and 1 INT.
Stanley is the second leading passer in yards (8297) and touchdowns (68) in Iowa history with a completion percentage of 58.3 and a record of 27-12 as a starter.
Stanley is 4th on the Vikings QB depth chart at the moment,.. but it wouldn't surprise me to see him climb that ladder this pre-season.
Sean Mannion is the incumbent Vikings backup who, like Stanely, is a tall big armed pocket passer. Mannion is the more decorated and accurate thrower of the two.
So why do I favor Stanley over Mannion in the long run? Answer: Leadership intangibles and the ability to win ball games. Mannion started 43 games in his college career, completing 64% of his passes for 13,600 yards, 83 touchdowns and 54 interceptions. As a senior he became the Pac-12 all-time leading passer breaking Matt Barkley’s record. But when it’s all said and done, his Oregon State football teams finished with a combined 26-26 record from 2011 to 2014 with only two bowl appearances.
Mannion started ten games as freshman (winning three) and another eight as sophomore helping lead the Beavers to the 2012 Alomo Bowl. His coach, Mike Riley, decided to start Cody Vaz in that game over Mannion because he though Vaz (a junior) was the most ready to start. That might tell me all I need to know about Mannion's early work ethic and leadership ability.
Mannion has two NFL starts under his belt. Both have been on playoff teams in end-of-the-year meaningless mop-up duty. Both times his teammates played uninspired football around him in losing efforts.
My point is, Stanley is not going to wow you with his ability to take over a game. He was never the MVP candidate during Iowa's biggest wins, yet his teams constantly found ways to play well around him. Despite some of his accuracy issues running a quick strike up-tempo passing attack, he does possess a high football IQ and the ability to protect the football.
For a backup quarterback who will be relegated to holding a clipboard for the majority of his career, I’m not going to get too nit-picky over ball placement issues at this point. I like this kid.
In the Holiday Bowl clip below you will see some inaccurate throws on a few shorter route, (you can’t hide that on film). However, we also see his big arm as he throws the ball well on out routes and deeper shots down field.
With the 244th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected Nate Stanley in the seventh round. As a seventh round rookie, Stanley is looking at a $2.7 million, four-year deal with a $77,500 signing bonus.
So what exactly are the Vikings getting with Stanley. The obvious answer of course is “a career backup quarterback”. That answer is indeed spot on, but I think there might be more to Stanley than what first meets the naked eye.
Before Stanley took over the reins as the starting QB for the Iowa Hawkeyes, the team had lost their previous five consecutive bowl appearances between 2011 to 2016.
Stanley however, went on to flip that table and sets the Iowa record for bowl wins in a career with three. Stanley helped guide the Hawkeyes to wins over Boston College in the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl, Mississippi State in the 2019 Outback Bowl, and USC in the Holiday Bowl. In those three wins, Stanley was 47 of 73 for 526 yards 6 TDs and 1 INT.
Stanley is the second leading passer in yards (8297) and touchdowns (68) in Iowa history with a completion percentage of 58.3 and a record of 27-12 as a starter.
Stanley is 4th on the Vikings QB depth chart at the moment,.. but it wouldn't surprise me to see him climb that ladder this pre-season.
Sean Mannion is the incumbent Vikings backup who, like Stanely, is a tall big armed pocket passer. Mannion is the more decorated and accurate thrower of the two.
So why do I favor Stanley over Mannion in the long run? Answer: Leadership intangibles and the ability to win ball games. Mannion started 43 games in his college career, completing 64% of his passes for 13,600 yards, 83 touchdowns and 54 interceptions. As a senior he became the Pac-12 all-time leading passer breaking Matt Barkley’s record. But when it’s all said and done, his Oregon State football teams finished with a combined 26-26 record from 2011 to 2014 with only two bowl appearances.
Mannion started ten games as freshman (winning three) and another eight as sophomore helping lead the Beavers to the 2012 Alomo Bowl. His coach, Mike Riley, decided to start Cody Vaz in that game over Mannion because he though Vaz (a junior) was the most ready to start. That might tell me all I need to know about Mannion's early work ethic and leadership ability.
Mannion has two NFL starts under his belt. Both have been on playoff teams in end-of-the-year meaningless mop-up duty. Both times his teammates played uninspired football around him in losing efforts.
My point is, Stanley is not going to wow you with his ability to take over a game. He was never the MVP candidate during Iowa's biggest wins, yet his teams constantly found ways to play well around him. Despite some of his accuracy issues running a quick strike up-tempo passing attack, he does possess a high football IQ and the ability to protect the football.
For a backup quarterback who will be relegated to holding a clipboard for the majority of his career, I’m not going to get too nit-picky over ball placement issues at this point. I like this kid.
In the Holiday Bowl clip below you will see some inaccurate throws on a few shorter route, (you can’t hide that on film). However, we also see his big arm as he throws the ball well on out routes and deeper shots down field.
