Getty Florida's Kadarius Toney was voted top WR on the American team at this weeks Reese's Senior Bowl.
One look at the Kansas City Chiefs current offensive weaponry would suggest that a group headlined by All-Pros Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and 2020 first-rounder Clyde Edwards-Helaire doesn’t need to be addressed early in the 2021 NFL Draft.
However, Andy Reid’s No. 1 ranked unit stands to lose a pair of established veteran wideouts in Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson, both impending free agents in March who figure to price themselves out of contention from the cash-strapped Chiefs. Fresh off of last week’s Reese’s Senior Bowl, Bleacher Report has identified one prospect that every NFL team should covet.
For Kansas City, the name to watch is Florida’s Kadarius Toney — and for good reason.
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Toney Models His Game After Saints RB Alvin Kamara
Viewed as one of the shiftiest playmakers in this year’s draft class, Toney has already been linked to the Chiefs in recent weeks, including the most recent mock draft from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
Here is what B/R’s Tyler Brooke had to say about the highly coveted Gator:
Florida’s Kadarius Toney is one of the top wide receivers at the Senior Bowl. At 5’11” and 189 pounds, he wins with excellent change-of-direction ability, footwork and a great feel for route-running. His tape regularly shows a player who can burn defensive backs with excellent routes to create space at the stem.
Toney is also a threat once the ball is in his hands with good balance and a willingness to lower his shoulder through contact. While he’s not a jump-ball or vertical threat, he can thrive on short and intermediate routes.
With Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman winning with speed, Toney could carve out his own role in the Kansas City offense.
Interestingly enough, Toney recently told reporters that he models his game after New Orleans Saints All-Pro running back Alvin Kamara, per 247 Sports.
Another interesting wrinkle? Toney was a successful dual-threat quarterback at Blount High School in Alabama, which just retired his No. 4 jersey on Friday. In his final two high school seasons, Toney led Blount to a 20-5 record while accounting for 6,498 yards and 69 passing touchdowns, plus an additional 1,790 yards and 31 scores on the ground.
‘The Human Joystick’ Lit up the Senior Bowl
Last week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, Toney was the talk of his hometown. The newly turned 22-year-old was voted the American team’s best wide receiver while elevating his draft stock to legitimate first-round status. Here is just some of the praise being harped on Toney following an impressive week of work:
Big takeaway from 3 days in Mobile: Even w/o JaMarr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Rashod Bateman or Rondale Moore, or DeVonta Smith on-field, the WRs were who the scouts raved about.
Kadarius Toney, D’Wayne Eskridge, and Tylan Wallace all showed out. It’s another GREAT receiver class.
Florida WR Kadarius Toney looks unstoppable in one on ones. Will see him in team drills here in a bit. He’s winning everything right now.
The following are the fastest WRs from Tuesday’s Reese’s Senior Bowl practice (taken from 7-on-7’s, team drills, and WR/DB 1-on-1’s) per our partners at @SlantsAI.
Demetric Felton – 19.78 mph
Kadarius Toney – 19.43 mph
Frank Darby – 18.49 mph
Kadarius Toney is a human joystick
Like many dynamic college playmakers before him, Toney was often underutilized by the Gators, never recording more than 500 total yards before breaking out for a career-best 70 receptions, 984 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior in 2020. Due to his game-breaking stop-and-start ability, the speedster has also drawn some early pro comparisons to former Chiefs All-Pro return man Dante Hall — the original “human joystick.”
Kadarius Toney’s NFL comp is Dante Hall for a reason.
(📹 @SECNetwork @NFL)
With the Chiefs likely to land the No. 31 or 32 overall pick in April’s draft, Toney may already be pricing himself out of striking distance for general manager Brett Veach. However, just the idea of Toney threatening the middle of the field alongside Kelce, Hill and Mecole Hardman has to have defensive coordinators sweating in their sleep. That might just be enough consideration for Kansas City to make an aggressive move to replace Robinson with the next generation of Florida wideout.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!