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Kadarius Toney Drafted by Giants: New York's Updated Depth Chart After Round 1
April 30, 2021
One of the most dynamic players in college football last year is officially a professional.
The New York Giants selected Florida wideout Kadarius Toney No. 20 overall, making him the fourth receiver taken in the 2021 NFL draft.
In his final year with the Gators, the 6'0", 193-pounder posted an astounding 984 yards on 70 catches with 10 touchdowns, averaging 14.1 yards per catch in the process. That made him one of the top wideouts available this year, with B/R's NFL Scouting Department rating him a 7.71 out of 10 and a likely NFL starter.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler agreed, believing Toney's versatility makes him the fourth-best receiver in the draft:
"A loose, elastic athlete, Toney routinely makes the first man miss with special start/stop twitch, frustrating would-be tacklers and creating explosive plays. While he is an improved route-runner, he remains a work-in-progress with his steps and tempo and his freelancing will backfire at times. Overall, Toney is still more of a gadget player than polished receiver (and his off-field and durability will be debated in war rooms), but he boasts the one-step burst, body balance and underrated toughness to be a big-play ignitor. He projects as a versatile NFL weapon on offense and special teams."
Toney should be able to do that and more as he joins a Giants depth chart.
QB: Daniel Jones, Mike Glennon
RB: Saquon Barkley, Devontae Booker
WR 1: Kenny Golladay
WR 2: Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney
WR 3: Darius Slayton, John Ross
TE: Evan Engram, Kyle Rudolph
LT: Andrew Thomas, Nate Solder
LG: Shane Lemieux, Zach Fulton
C: Nick Gates, Jonotthan Harrison
RG: Will Hernandez, Kyle Murphy
RT: Matt Peart, Nate Solder
The Giants continue to add weapons to an offense lead by an unproven quarterback in Daniel Jones, but Toney's versatility should provide a few more options to the playbook.
Saquon Barkley and wideouts Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton are likely to receive the bulk of targets, meaning Toney may have to bide his time before he gets a chance to enter a starring role.
His ability after the catch still represents a different type of skill set from the other receivers, giving offensive coordinator Jason Garrett a lot of options in 2021. Don't be surprised to see some special teams work for the rookie as well.