NFL Draft Scouting Report: Shaka Toney

Story posted April 22, 2021 in NFL Draft by Matt Scalzo.

Shaka Toney, a former three-star in the 2016 recruiting class, has entered the 2021 NFL Draft according to 247 sports.

A two-year starter at defensive end, Toney was also selected as a team captain in 2020 and proved to be one of the best pass rushers in Penn State history. Toney totaled 20.5 career sacks, good for eighth all-time for the blue and white.

Toney’s lowest sack total came in 2017 where he had four sacks, which was his first season of action, but he did force two fumbles. In 2018, he appeared in all 13 games getting five sacks, 23 tackles and also forcing a fumble.

Toney’s best overall season came in 2019 as a redshirt junior where he started every game. He totaled six and a half sacks, along with 41 total tackles and also earned All-Big Ten second team by the coaches.

Then his final season in Happy Valley, Toney garnered All-Big Ten First team as a senior. Toney led the Nittany Lions with five sacks, seven and a half tackles for a loss, 31 tackles and a forced fumble.

During his tenure at Penn State, Toney saw many questions regarding his consistency and strength. Rightfully so, because there were multiple three-game stretches where Toney would not affect the game. Then with his strength, he can be overpowered by the bigger, more athletic tackles, especially against the run.

Coming off the edge for his whole college career, Toney has good skills that will translate to the NFL. If put into the right system, Toney can become a very effective pass rusher. However, due to his lack of consistency, he will likely be used as a situational pass rusher.

Toney is a very talented and athletic edge rusher, but is often overlooked because his Penn State counterpart Jayson Oweh has gained a lot of attention for his freakish athleticism.

At the Penn State pro day, Toney turned in a good performance and showed his athleticism.

Toney measured in at 6-foot-3 and 242 pounds. He clocked in at 4.51 on the 40-yard dash, along with a 1.54 10-yard split. He also pumped out 24 reps on the bench press, had a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10-8 board jump.

Toney projects to be drafted in the later rounds of the NFL Draft, if he is drafted into a good system he could develop into a great pass rusher. A team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers comes to mind.

The Buccaneers proved to be one of the best defenses in the league last year. They have so many good and experienced edge rushers, Toney could learn to grow under their mentorship.

Wherever Shaka Toney ends up, he is not going to provide an immediate impact. He is not an every-down type of lineman and still has some weaknesses in his game. Until Toney can round out his game, it seems likely that he will get his time in as a situational pass rusher.

Matthew Scalzo is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mms7477@psu.edu.

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Matt Scalzo

Third Year / Broadcast Journalism

Matthew “Matt” Scalzo is a third-year from Ridgefield, Connecticut majoring in broadcast journalism. Matt is a Basketball Insider, broadcaster and writer for the sports department. With CommRadio he has called football, hockey, basketball, baseball, volleyball and lacrosse games. Matt has called matches for Penn State Women’s Volleyball on both TV and radio. He has written countless articles and appeared on podcasts, live shows and is a host of the Chi-Town Sit-Down with Thomas English, which covers everything Chicago sports. Matt spent the 2022 summer as the Drector of Broadcasting & Media for the Sanford Mainers in the NECBL. If you want to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).