Nick Toon- 2012 Draft Scouting Report

Positives:

+ Fundamentally sound in every aspect of the game
+ Good size- above average height and bulk
+ Excellent hands and long arms
+ Above average leaper with ridiculous body control in the air
+ Good run blocker

Negatives:

– Mediocre straight line speed
– Fundamentally sound route runner, but lacks quickness in his breaks
– Some durability issues
– Average stats

The minute I started scouting Nick Toon, I knew that his dad (Al Toon, former pro bowl receiver for the Jets and Wisconsin alum) had taught him a lot about football. His raw ability is average, but his strong fundamentals make him a good investment for whatever team he goes to, because the team that drafts him is guaranteed 5 years of respectable production.

Nick Toon has solid measurables. He is 6’2, 220lbs, and he runs a respectable 4.52 40 yard dash, which is pretty good for a receiver as bulky as he is. He also has pretty good strength.

Toon has put up mediocre stats, largely due to durability issues. His only healthy season was his sophomore year in 2009, in which he got 805 receiving yards. He missed 4 games in 2010 due to injury, and he was never able to find his groove after coming back from his injury, and he only got 459 yards on that season. He was off to a roaring start in 2011, averaging 89.4 yards per game in Wisconsin’s first 5 games, but, after injuring his foot against Iowa, he missed one game against Indiana and never really fully recovered from that injury, averaging only 53.6 yards per game for the rest of the regular season. However, between the Big Ten championship game and the Rose Bowl, his foot got one month to heal, and he showed how great he is when healthy, getting 9 catches for 104 yards against Oregon. Toon’s stats may seem mediocre, but I believe he can dominate when healthy.

Toon has good intangibles. As I said before, his dad played in the NFL, and, considering that Toon is one of the most fundamentally sound receivers in college football, I believe that he worked hard with his dad to learn the game. Toon also plays with excellent on field intensity, and is a ferocious, fantastic run blocker (just like everyone else on Wisconsin’s offense).

Toon is a decent route runner. He uses brilliant fundamentals in his routes, but he can be hampered by his lack of short area quickness and his inability to make quick cuts in and out of breaks. He also doesn’t have a very fast release off the line of scrimmage. However, these issues may be partly a result of the foot injury, as it probably restricted his ability to make strong cuts in his routes. Toon does use brilliant head fakes and double moves in his routes though, he can run pretty deceptive routes when he doesn’t have to make a 90 degree cut, and he uses his hands, strength, and long wingspan to create separation between him and the corner in press coverage.

Toon has excellent hands and athleticism. He is an above average leaper, but what separates him from other receivers is his body control in the air, along with his long arms and great coordination. His vertical won’t be fantastic, but he can catch anything that touches his hands, and his body control in the air is fantastic, so he is always in position to make play on the ball. Toon also never traps passes against his frame, and uses great fundamentals to make catches.

Toon’s biggest issue is the fact that he can’t create yards after the catch. He isn’t too powerful, and he lacks the agility and elusiveness necessary to create lots of yards after the catch. I would be a lot higher on Toon if he could create yards after the catch, because I’ve always felt YAC is an underrated quality for wide receivers. A receiver that can create yards after the catch is valuable because throws that go to that receiver are a rare combination of high percentage throws and probable long gains. Toon does have a long wingspan though, which gives him some effectiveness with the stiff arm.

Ultimately, I feel that Toon is a solid player who is underrated because people have ignored how good he is when healthy. When he is healthy, he can dominate. It’s obvious just by looking at how well he was laying before his foot injury this year and how well he was playing after the injury. Regardless, I feel that Toon is so fundamentally sound that he should be able to make some impact as soon as he gets into the NFL.

NFL Comparison: Jordy Nelson

Grade: 91 (worthy of a late first round pick)

Projection: 85 (will be a mid second round pick)