2021 NFL Draft: Wide receiver Kadarius Toney scouting report

Background (2017-2019)

The Toney story starts in Eight Mile, Alabama, where he started as a dual-threat quarterback at Blount High School. About eight miles northwest of Mobile, Alabama, Toney thrived as both a passing and running quarterback, with 6,498 passing yards and 69 touchdowns thru two seasons. On the ground, Toney ran from 1,790 yards and 31 touchdowns in the same time period, according to his Florida Gators bio.

Despite coming out of high school as a three-star recruit, Toney fielded plenty of offers from the Southeastern Conference, including Alabama and South Carolina, but chose to go out of state and play for the Gators in Gainesville. What role he would play in college was unclear, however, as he was labeled an “athlete” during his recruitment period. Which meant athletic departments believed he had the skills and physical attributes to play several different positions on the football field….just not the one he played predominately in high school. Ranked as the 20th best “athlete” coming out of Alabama in 2017 (according to 247 Sports), it was unclear what position the Gators would have Toney play.

His first season in 2017 was marred by injuries and a lackluster quarterback/coaching pair at Florida. Despite this, he still found ways to play a variety of roles throughout eight games. Toney played as a running back, wide receiver and even took snaps as a wildcat quarterback during the season. His debut came during a spring game, the ignominiously named Orange and Blue Game, where Toney played merely a handful of snaps. Despite this, he showed off impressive play-making abilities, breaking free from defenders for big runs, leading the offense with 74-rushing yards and a passing touchdown off a play-action boot pass. Despite only practicing a handful of times with the team before the game, Toney flashed potential for a fanbase desperate for an effective offense.

The 2018 season saw even more mixed-use, playing as both a wide receiver, punt returner and wildcat quarterback in 12 games. 2019 became somewhat of a lost season for Toney, as he missed six games due to an injury. He still saw the field in seven games but with a solid corp of wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart, Toney was hard-pressed to find time in the rotation. But even in a season as bleak as 2019 Toney still found ways to shine, including two 40-plus yard receptions and a 66-yard touchdown catch. While not a productive season by any stretch of the imagination, Toney still found ways to impress during his limited snaps.

Then came the 2020 season. Click next below to read about Toney’s 2020 season, including the context that allowed him to make such a drastic leap forward in production.