2021 NFL Draft: Five mid-round prospects to target

Shaka Toney, EDGE, Penn State

The 2020 Penn State defense was supposed to be anchored by Micah Parsons, but when Parsons opted out of the season someone had to step up. That player has turned out to be Shaka Toney. Toney has been sporadic in his play at best, but his highs give hope to what could be with some fine-tuning.

While Toney’s game-by-game stats have been sporadic, his season-by-season stats show a different picture. This year he has a career-low 5.5 tackles for loss, putting up between 5.5 and eight each season. Sacks are a similar story with somewhere between 3.5 and 6.5 each year. The stats come in spurts, but they come nonetheless.

For that reason, Toney could be a spark plug rotational player off the edge. Every team is always looking to improve their edge rush and Toney can do that. Being a hit-or-miss player, a rotation could allow him to have more hits than misses.

Since he hasn’t been able to do it consistently, there’s a good chance he falls in the 2021 NFL Draft. Regardless though, he’s been able to do it at times, which is why he could turn into a steal if he can grow into an NFL role.