An explosive, dynamic playmaker, Florida’s Kadarius Toney is the type of player we see more and more NFL teams look for, and the 2021 NFL Draft will be no different. With a draft projection reaching into the first round, Toney could be one of the most efficient players of the 2021 rookie class if paired with a creative play-caller.
Kadarius Toney’s 2021 NFL Draft projection
In a 2021 NFL Draft class brimming with WR talent, Toney finds his name mixed in with the very best. PFN’s Chief Draft Analyst and NFL Insider Tony Pauline has Toney ranked as the No. 33 overall prospect and the sixth-best wide receiver, with a late-first-to-early-second-round draft projection.
The 5’11” senior out of Florida broke out last year thanks to his electric play style and crisp route running that routinely left defenders needing to retape their ankles. In his final collegiate season, Toney recorded 70 receptions for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns. But this was not all, as he showcased his versatility as a rusher as well, accumulating 19 attempts for 161 yards and a score.
Toney’s success went hand in hand with Kyle Trask‘s outstanding performance and showed prospective NFL team’s a glimpse of what he could bring to their offense. If he is going to succeed at the NFL level, Toney would be best served getting selected by a team with a creative offensive coordinator — one that can get him space and showcase his after-the-catch ability.
In his draft week rumors and news article, Pro Football Network’s Chief Draft analyst Tony Pauline reported that Toney is a candidate to be selected in the first round.
Best landing spots for Toney
Working primarily out of the slot, Toney’s physics-bending acceleration and explosiveness are precisely what the modern NFL game is yearning for in a dynamic offense.
Kansas City Chiefs
I mean, do I need to explain this one? There is no way I could talk about the best landing spots and not include the Chiefs on this list. Toney fits perfectly with what Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy look for in a wide receiver — speed, crisp routes, and lethal explosiveness.
Just think about this for a second. Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Mecole Hardman, and Toney on the same offense, with Patrick Mahomes doing Patrick Mahomes things.
With Sammy Watkins heading to Baltimore during free agency, there is a vacancy on Kansas City’s offense. No one would be better suited to fill that position than Toney. What is most shocking about this landing spot is that Toney’s 4.38 40-time at his pro day would only be the third-fastest receiver in Kansas City behind Hill (4.29) and Hardman (4.33).
New Orleans Saints
When you think of gadget/versatile players, the Saints are the first team that comes to mind. With the ultra-creative Sean Payton at the helm, Toney could have a field day in the Big Easy. Toney could line up all over the field for the Saints and be a fantastic complement to Michael Thomas.
The Saints could use another receiver as they lack a true WR2, although there is hope that Tre’Quan Smith could take a step forward in 2021. Jameis Winston is expected to secure the starting role this year, and it would behoove the Saints to add an additional weapon into the offense.
San Francisco 49ers
This one seems obvious. No one is better at scheming players open than Kyle Shanahan. Their offense is predicated on short-area explosiveness and getting playmakers in space. Does this sound a bit familiar to Toney’s skill set?
For this to happen, Toney would have to reach the floor of his draft projection and be available at pick No. 43 unless the 49ers attempted to make a trade up. However, after selling the farm to move to No. 3 overall, mortgaging the house as well might not be the most ingenious idea.
Miami Dolphins
Let’s just ignore what they might do at No. 6 overall and only look at the fit. The Miami Dolphins struggled to find production out of the slot other than Mike Gesicki. Tua Tagovailoa showed at Alabama what he could do with versatile receivers by letting players like Henry Ruggs III break off significant plays on relatively short throws.
While not aggressive, Tua is accurate and has a great sense of timing and pace on his throws. His adept anticipation skills would work in perfect tandem with Toney. Tua could deliver the ball before Toney even comes out of his breaks while never losing stride.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Urban Meyer is selecting Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick; that’s a done deal. The following two picks, meanwhile, should be to protect him and add more playmakers to the offense.
Meyer is going to implement a similar offense to what we saw at Ohio State and one that has also become more common in the NFL. The Jaguars already have three solid receivers in D.J. Chark, Marvin Jones, and Laviska Shenault. Adding Toney into the mix would make this one of the more dangerous wide receiver corps in the NFL.
Toney, a Mobile native, met with the Jaguars during the Senior Bowl and had another Zoom call with them earlier this month. He is clearly on their radar already, and his versatile skill set would be a great fit as the Jaguars establish a new culture in Duval.
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Tommy Garrett is a writer for Pro Football Network covering the NFL and fantasy football. You can read more of his work here and follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.