Percy Butler Credits Gators' Patrick Toney for Growth Into NFL Draft Pick
Photo: Percy Butler; Credit: RaginCajuns.com
Four-year Louisiana-Lafayette safety Percy Butler's dream of being selected in the NFL Draft came true over the weekend, taken by the Washington Commanders with the 113th overall pick in the fourth round.
Surely similar to the feeling he endured on Monday upon the birth of his daughter, Eiress, Butler called the rush that came over him when he was drafted indescribable.
"It's really, like, a feeling that you can't even describe," Butler told AllGators after the draft. "You don't know if you want to be happy, you don't know if you're gonna cry."
Butler knows that he's always had the physical attributes to make it to the pros — his 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in March is a prime example.
The mental aspect of becoming a pro-caliber defensive back, however, was something the former two-star recruit out of Plaquemine (La.) needed to grasp during his college career, he admits.
That's where Patrick Toney, who coached safeties and was the defensive coordinator at Louisiana before he took the same positions with the Florida Gators in December 2021, factored into Butler's development.
"I credit coach Toney with a lot," Butler explained. "I mean, I always had the physical tools, but when you're playing football in college and you're trying to play in the NFL, you've got to have the mental aspect of the game too.
"Coach Toney, he has that mental aspect of the game times ten and he makes football understandable. It's like a classroom type of setting, he basically teaches football like it's math, for real. He simplifies it for you and he makes sure that you can simplify the offense or whatever the offense is about to do, even before they even do it."
A similar message has been expressed by members of the Gators' defense since Toney joined the staff of UF's new head coach, also from Louisiana, Billy Napier.
According to the likes of Gators linebacker Ventrell Miller, safeties Rashad Torrence and Trey Dean, and other contributors who met with media during UF's spring camp, Toney isn't one to overcomplicate his defensive strategies and schemes. He presents information in a way that is structured and detailed, but easy for players to pick up on at the same time.
"Say the offense runs a play, and then they come out in a different formation but they motion somebody over to the same formation, trying to hide that they're about to run the same exact play," Butler described. "[Toney] gets you to understand, like, be watching for this motion that's gonna happen. They're gonna hide this split, but they're gonna motion and they'll run the same exact play.
"He opens up your brain. Like, you wouldn't regularly think of things like somebody is going to hide a split with a motion, but he made us understand stuff like that. I feel like when you start understanding things like that, that's when your game will start changing."
Butler can personally attest to this, far outplaying his recruiting ranking thanks to Toney's guidance throughout his time at Louisiana. Butler earned Second-Team All-Sun Belt honors in 2021 and posted 167 tackles, a sack, nine tackles for loss, three interceptions, 13 defended passes and five forced fumbles in 42 career games.
"He's one of those coaches who will keep it 100% real with you," Butler said of Toney. "I feel like if a dude is somebody who likes to get better and wants to succeed with football, they'll want coach Toney as their coach."
Although he ultimately didn't know where he'd be going in the draft, Butler had grown fond of Washington over the last few months while bonding with members of the Commanders' personnel staff.
Regional scout Peter Picerelli, in particular, was in regular contact with Butler throughout the draft process, detailing Butler's potential fit in the Commanders' defense and special teams in case he ended up landing in Washington.
"I feel like it's a great fit for me," Butler said.
"So my next goal is really just to be a human sponge, just going into the Washington Commanders," he continued. "I'm trying to learn as much as possible from anybody and I'm trying to do whatever it takes, play whatever role I that need to play to help the team be successful and win.
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