2021 NFL Draft: Florida WR Kadarius Toney continues to shine

Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney continues to boost his 2021 NFL Draft stock.

Last season, Florida did not seem to trust wide receiver Kadarius Toney as anything more than a gadget player. His speed, quickness and tackle-breaking was obvious, but he struggled to make a consistent impact in the offensive attack. This obviously held his 2021 NFL Draft stock down and made us question if he was a real next-level prospect.

That being said, Toney appears to have taken his game to the next level this season and should be taken seriously as an exciting 2021 NFL Draft prospect.

We talked about Toney last week after his impressive performance against Ole Miss. He showed the same impressive playmaking ability with the ball in his hands, but seemed to drastically improve as a route-runner. This week, Toney and the Gators took on South Carolina and Toney continued to show his growth as a player.

Another impressive game for Toney

In Florida’s 38-24 win over South Carolina, Toney led the team in receptions (six) and receiving yards (86) and also caught a touchdown. On the touchdown (which you can see below), Toney showed off his improved route-running ability and also his ridiculous playmaking ability with the ball in his hands.

Toney has ridiculous raw speed and quickness, but his contact balance for such a small player needs to be noticed. Toney can undoubtedly make defenders miss in space, but he also shows a knack for getting low and forcing defenders to bounce off of him. The exciting offensive weapon is primarily a speed threat, but he undoubtedly has some power in his game as well.

Through two games, Toney has proven to be a consistent playmaker for the Gators out of the slot. Kyle Trask and tight end Kyle Pitts will likely continue to receive most of the attention, but Toney is quickly becoming an exciting player who deserves to be taken seriously. His 2021 NFL Draft stock is on the rise and that will likely continue as the season unfolds.