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As scouts from 31 NFL teams piled into Florida’s training facility for pro day, Kadarius Toney crouched between two orange cones with an opportunity to earn millions
Toney darted 40 yards up the left hashmarks and clocked a time that surprised scouts and spectators alike: 4.38. The senior’s official 40-yard-dash time came in at 4.41, but Toney continued to impress with an 11 foot, 4 inch leap in the broad jump and a 41” vertical.
“I feel like I came in and handled business like I was really supposed to,” Toney said about his pro day performance. “The team’s got a better feel for the kind of person I am and the kind of skills I bring to the table.”
The Mobile native’s metrics added fuel to his rapidly ascending draft stock. Toney’s broad jump ranked in the 98th percentile and he would have held the fifth-fastest 40-time in last year’s NFL Draft. Most experts tab Toney as a first or second round pick, an incredible lurch for a player that garnered meager professional attention before his breakout 2020 campaign.
The diminutive receiver played a bit-part role during his first three years at Gainesville. Toney flashed his boundless potential last season as he scampered 66 yards off a screen pass against Miami and tracked down a 48-yard pass at Missouri.
But Toney remained limited to 8-10 snaps a game, struggling to establish himself in the back-field, or the slot. The Florida coaching staff made the fateful decision to convert Toney into a wideout, and the star receiver hasn’t looked back.
“It really changed my life in a way,” Toney said. “I wouldn’t be here probably if I didn’t make that change if I didn’t become a team player in that way.”
Toney immediately enjoyed a more focal role in the offense as he averaged 75 receiving yards per game and continued to develop as a route runner. He worked to embrace the moniker “true receiver,” and NFL scouts began to take notice.
“We always talk about being a route-runner of a wide receiver and not just a playmaker,” coach Dan Mullen said. “Now that he knows how to play receiver, he’s scratching the surface of what he’s going to become at the next level.”
His transformation from spark-plug to superstar culminated with a torrid five-game stretch to end the season. Toney hauled in more than 100 yards in four of his final five games and served as a rare bright spot against LSU with nearly 200 yards receiving.
Long chided as a “gadget player,” Toney proved himself to be a versatile receiver and leaves little doubt in his ability after an outstanding pro day. Toney’s development has been so comprehensive that his fledgling music career stands as a primary concern among NFL evaluators.
“He keeps erasing every question people have about him everywhere he goes,” Mullen said.
Toney’s ascent will continue in a month’s time upon his selection in the NFL Draft on April 29. The first-round hopeful plans to await his fateful phone call with his family in Alabama, and ensures that Draft night is just a new beginning.
“It’s a celebration but it’s just the start of my journey,” Toney said. “I’m always hungry and I’m always looking for the next thing, the next step.”
