Stanley Signs Rookie Contract With Vikings
Nate Stanley made it official on Monday, signing his rookie contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
The former Iowa quarterback was the first member of the Vikings' 2020 NFL draft class to sign.
Stanley went to the Vikings with the 30th pick in the round, the 244th overall selection.
Stanley stayed in the Midwest — he grew up in Wisconsin before attending Iowa.
He became the fifth Hawkeye selected in this year's draft, the biggest draft class for the program since six players were selected in 2012.
He finished his career as one of the most prolific passers in program history.
• Stanley went 27-12 in his career, not missing a start in his last three seasons.
• He became the second quarterback in program history to go 3-0 in bowl games, winning the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl, the 2019 Outback Bowl and the 2019 Holiday Bowl.
• He ranked second in program history in career touchdown passes with 68.
• He ranked second in program history with 8,302 passing yards, and third in total offense in with 8,197 yards.
• He had 10 games with three or more touchdown passes. He had six touchdown passes in a win at Indiana in 2018.
• In 2017, in his first year as a starter, Stanley threw for five touchdown passes in a win at Iowa State, then matched that with a five-touchdown game in a home win over Ohio State.
Stanley was ranked as the ninth-best quarterback available in this year's draft.
"What he can do is he can make every throw on the field," Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network said during the draft telecast in April. "Big, strong, powerful arm. He's a pure pocket passer. He's not going to create a lot of plays, and he struggles when he gets pressured and sped up. But when it's on time, and he can set his feet in the ground, you see some big-time throws.
"He's got to get a little bit better playing off-schedule, when everything's not as it's supposed to go on the design, on the paper. That's an area he needs to improve. But you talk about arm strength — he's got it."
