Packers.com consulted more than a dozen mock drafts from reputable national outlets and compiled a list of players most frequently mocked as draft selections in the bottom third of the first round (picks 20-32).
Between now and draft day, when the Packers are slated to select at No. 29 overall, those players will be profiled with thumbnail sketches in a new series entitled "Draft Digest."
Today's player is …
Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
Height/Weight: 5-11, 189
Key stats: Caught 70 passes for 984 yards and 10 TDs in 11 games in 2020, his lone season as a full-time starter. Added 580 rushing yards and two TDs over his college career.
College honors: Named first-team All-Southeastern Conference as an all-purpose player last season, and second-team All-SEC at wide receiver.
Background: A speedy, impressive athlete who was a dual-threat QB during high school in Alabama, Toney came to Florida as an all-around offensive weapon who broke out as a receiver last season. An unclogged depth chart combined with the emergence of Florida QB Kyle Trask helped produce the standout year. After missing six games due to injury in 2019, Toney played every contest in 2020 until sitting out Florida's bowl game to prepare for the draft. He's an explosive playmaker with yards-after-catch ability who most analysts say needs to become a more refined route-runner, not unusual for a player relatively new to the position. He reportedly clocked a 4.38-second time in the 40-yard dash at Florida's pro day. Toney also brings plenty of skill in the return game, having brought back a punt for a TD last season.
Potential fit with Packers: Head Coach Matt LaFleur's offense has a place for a prototypical slot receiver who can run jet sweeps as well as intermediate and deep routes. But no one currently on the roster is filling the role previously manned by Tyler Ervin and Tavon Austin, who are both unrestricted free agents. Toney is the type of athlete with whom offensive coaches can get creative, and there's plenty of development in his game that can be refined. He'd also bring an instant upgrade to the Packers' return game, which has struggled the past two years except for the stretch run in 2019 when Ervin arrived.
View all the Draft Digest profiles here.
