The 49ers depth at receiver is already thin (and could soon be thinner), could Kadarius Toney be a buy-low target?
The New York Giants are shopping wide receiver Kadarius Toney, according to a report by Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. Toney was selected by the Giants with the 20th overall pick in last year’s draft but has had a tumultuous tenure in New York.
Last season, Toney hauled in 39 receptions, recording 420 receiving yards across 10 games (four starts). However, his mediocre production was far from the biggest story surrounding Toney’s rookie season.
The Florida alum was reportedly ill-prepared for team meetings and faced questions about his knowledge of the playbook throughout the year. Making matters more frustrating for the organization, Toney has not attended any of the team’s offseason programming under first-year head coach Brian Daboll.
With Daboll and new general manager, Joe Schoen at the helm of the organization, the Giants seem ready to move forward without their recent top pick. So perhaps the San Francisco 49ers could emerge as a landing spot for the 23-year-old wideout. While it’s easy to tie the Niners’ interest in Toney to the swirling Deebo Samuel trade rumors, he could still be an intriguing target for the team even if they hold onto Deebo.
The 49ers’ depth at wide receiver behind Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings lacks any trustworthy options. If the Niners are on the cusp of trading Samuel, the situation only gets direr. Acquiring Toney could be an easy buy-low opportunity for San Francisco to strengthen their receiving corp whether they trade Samuel or not.
The 49ers hosted Toney for a pre-draft visit last year, and here’s what our own Kyle Posey wrote about the possible fit at the time:
As a route runner, Toney leaves a lot to be desired. I’d be skeptical about a senior who needed to be generated touches. When he has the ball, it looks like former Chiefs wideout Dante Hall. The consistency isn’t there for Toney, though.
If you take a wideout on Day 1, there shouldn’t be questions about playing like a first-rounder on each snap. When we recorded the podcast with former scouts who now work for Sports Info Solutions, they said Toney is almost too athletic for his own good. Playing under control was an issue.
Florida used Toney like a chess piece, and I imagine that’d be the same in San Francisco. Jet sweeps, screens, and quick passes were Toney’s game in college. Kyle Shanahan could get him lined up on a linebacker, where Toney often won those matchups in college.
In a wide-open offense like the Niners’, the appeal for a talent like Toney is there. He’s a natural playmaker who plays fast and is dynamic with the ball in his hands. On his pro day, Toney jumped 11’4” in the broad jump, which is pretty silly. At 5’11 and 193 pounds, Toney was also in the 90-percentiles in the 40(4.38) and the vertical jump (39.5).
Most of KP’s concerns proved true in Toney’s rookie season, but the price is now substantially lower. Toney’s contract is fully guaranteed, which would mean the 49ers would be on the hook for about $5.7 million in guaranteed money, but that comes out to about $1.9 million a year over the next three seasons. A perfectly reasonable price for a third or fourth receiver. If he emerges as something more, they could still potentially use his fifth-year option to keep him even longer.
Would the 49ers be willing to trade one of their late third-round picks for Toney? Could a late-round pick this year and one of their 2023 compensatory third-rounders be enough to get it done? Or are the Giants so desperate to move on that it would only take a fifth-round pick?
How much do you think the 49ers should be willing to offer for Kadarius Toney? Let us know in the comments.