Nick Toon Scouting Report, WR, Wisconsin, 2012 NFL Draft

Nick Toon was somewhat of an afterthought after a disappointing 2010 season, but has bounced back nicely early in 2011 to put himself into the conversation as a potential late first round, early second round pick. This is our Nick Toon scouting report, it will continue to grow and develop as we get closer to the 2012 N.F.L. draft. Combine numbers will be posted when they are available, and a deeper breakdown of Toon’s WR specific traits will also occur at that time.

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Measurables

6’2 215 pounds, 32.5 inch hands, 9 inch hands

4.54 forty yard dash, 18 bench press, 37.5 inch vertical jump

Stats (from cfbstats.com)

2010: 36 receptions  for 459 yards and 3 touchdowns. 2 rushes for 10 yards

2011:

From Wisconsin Bio page:

NFLmocks preseason scouting report:
Nick Toon, aside from having an awesome name, is a big play wide receiver who missed some time last year (four games) due to injury, but is a guy who can really come into the NFL and help someone’s team. He’s probably not going to be a superstar, and I think he compares favorably to Niles Paul, who went in the fifth round to the Washington Redskins. He doesn’t offer similar upside in the return game because he lacks the experience that Paul has in that area, and with such a young quarterback, he probably won’t put up huge numbers as a receiver either. However, he returns for his senior season as the unquestioned top receiver on the team, and has shown an ability to make plays in his career. Over the last two seasons, he has caught 90 passes for 1,364 yards and seven touchdowns. Big possession receiver who will have a lot of experience blocking downfield, and understands route running concepts. I would probably give him a late round grade at this point, but if he can prove healthy and show that he is the playmaker we all know he can be, he could sneak into the middle rounds because of his size and experience in a pro style offense.

Pros

Good size…catches  the ball in traffic…shields defenders off the ball…plus short area lateral quickness…son of former Jets great Al Toon…not a yards after the catch monster, but does ok…physical…adjusts wells to throws and does a decent job of catching the ball at it’s highest point….

Cons

Doesn’t always catch the ball cleanly…missed four games in 2010 because of injuries…no fumbling problems…not a consistent downfield option….limited production (because he plays in a run heavy offense?)…not a great route runner…Small hands

Player comparison:

Mohamed Massaquoi, Cleveland Browns

A lot of the similar strengths and weaknesses are in both players. Massaquoi used to drop too many passes and lack concentration at times, he was under-productive for seasons before picking it up in his final season. Massaquoi has good size and decent speed and has the body to be pretty physical, I think Toon is a bit more physical and a better possession WR, and I think Toon will be a better overall pro, but I see some similarities in their game.

I’ll continue to try to find a better comparison.

Projected round:  3rd

Closing thoughts

I’m not ready to put Toon in the category of a potential first round pick is what I wrote earlier in the year and I think that’s come about now. He’s a late 2nd, or third round pick. He lacks the explosiveness that teams covet for a number one Wide receiver in the league. Teams don’t generally look to select #2 WR types unless they are looking for a 1A kind of WR to give them a dynamic offense (think the drafting of Julio Jones). That is Toon. He is going to be a physical, solid possession WR in the N.F.L, but he’s not going to be dynamic in between the twenties though he could become a very nice red-zone option and solid contributor who might have a season or two of  900-1100 yards in his career and he will have a long N.F.L. career, but I don’t think he’s ever a pro bowl WR.

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