Is Kadarius Toney A Fit For the Buccaneers Receiving Arsenal?
A strength for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense over the past two years has been the passing game, with a league-leading air attack a year ago and Tom Brady currently seventh overall in the league.
Wide receiver Chris Godwin has had a big role in that both years, bursting onto the scene in 2019 with a 1,333-yard campaign where he scored nine touchdowns and is currently second on the team in receiving despite missing four games due to injury.
In the Buccaneers’ current salary cap situation, however, paying Godwin the $20 some-odd million a year he will be looking for as a free agent this year is unreasonable for the team in the long run if Mike Evans is the No. 1 target. The team could explore a variety of scenarios, including franchise tagging Godwin for about $16 million for one more season in order to maximize Brady's remaining years, or trading him to another team.
With it being unlikely Antonio Brown will return next year at the discounted rate the team has him at currently, wide receiver likely becomes a need for the Buccaneers. Despite hitting on Day 3 picks like Scotty Miller (414 yards this season) and Tyler Johnson (118 yards this season) in recent years, adding a player like Florida’s Kadarius Toney on Day 2 in this year's draft would make a lot of sense for a team in need of explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball.
Toney has emerged as the top receiver for a Florida Gators team that features two different former five-star recruits at receiver and was in need of a playmaker to complement the talents of future first-rounder Kyle Pitts at tight end.
With his ability to accelerate and maintain balance as he bounces off of defenders, Toney makes a lot of sense for the same plays the Buccaneers have schemed to Godwin down the stretch this year. As someone who has been a return specialist throughout his college career, Toney will be able to help the Buccaneers in that role and those same instincts he has to follow blocks and manufacture space for himself catch on quickly as soon as he catches the ball.
While Toney is listed at 6-foot, 193 pounds, his ability to break tackles and keep his legs churning after first contact negates any concerns about his ability to move the ball down the field. He might not have the same contested catch ability as bigger receivers due to his smaller frame, and while his hands-catching has improved this season to make a lot of grabs over the middle, he will need to continue to be coached up in order to make catches outside of his frame.
The Buccaneers' could also have a lot of fun with Toney as he is a former high school quarterback, and also has averaged 8.3 yards per attempt on 61 career rushes to date at UF.
Toney entered this season as a borderline Day 3 pick, but his continued production has likely pushed his stock into the late second round or early third round. Florida has a decent pipeline of receivers to the NFL in recent years and the Bucs looking at Toney in that window would allow a similar skillset to what Godwin provides on offense.
