Nick ToonWisconsin
Ht. 6-2 Wt. 220
Hands: Turn on Wisconsin game tape and you won’t see Nick Toon drop many balls in his career. He catches most anything he can get his hands on. He has a solid frame with long arm allowing for a large catching radius. He very rarely allows the ball to get inside his frame and is a pure hands catcher. Very solid fundamentals catching the football.
Route Running: Disappointing route runner. I expected him to be great because his dad was a fantastic route runner. His lack of short area burst is evident getting in and out of breaks. He is has a longer stride that doesn’t allow him to be sudden enough to create a lot separation. He is fundamentally sound in terms of the actual route tree. He uses his head to set up double moves very well.
After the Catch: He doesn’t create a lot after the catch. He’s more of a slow twitched athlete that lacks the elusiveness to get by defenders. For his size (220) you expect him to be able to run through defenders but he doesn’t. He has a good stiff arm but it’s really his only effective tool to break free.
Athleticism: Toon has good football speed but isn’t an elite athlete which is probably why he won’t be taken in the first 50 picks of the 2012 NFL Draft. He is a good leaper and shows excellent body control in the air. He can’t create in the open field due to lack of agility and suddenness.
Bottom Line: Nick Toon has struggled his entire career with durability issues. His medical at the Combine will be very important because of concerns with recurrent foot injuries. What you see with Toon is what you get. A fundamentally sound receiver that has relatively low ceiling but should be able to contribute immediately in the NFL. I don’t see anything that jumps out to make me believe he’s an elite receiver or much more than a solid possession guy at the next level.
Draft Projection: Nick Toon will likely go in the late second, early third round but I have him a third to fourth.
