The New York Giants invested copious resources into the offensive side of the ball this offseason. After their offense ranked second-to-last in the league last year, the Giants made it a point of emphasis to upgrade their weaponry. The Giants’ offense averaged 17.5 points per game in 2020, an unacceptable number in the modern NFL.
To fix their offensive attack, the Giants made some big acquisitions this offseason. They made some splash signings with wide receiver Kenny Golladay and tight end Kyle Rudolph. The Giants then doubled down in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and selected another wide receiver: Kadarius Toney.
Kadarius Toney is a dynamic talent that fixes a key deficiency from the Giants’ 2020 offense. In 2020, the Giants’ receiver failed to gain yards after the catch. Toney was the most explosive playmaker after-the-catch in this year’s draft class. He has the ability to be a game-changing playmaker for New York this season.
Kadarius Toney: YAC Monster
The New York Giants’ offensive weapons rarely created yardage after-the-catch in 2020. According to Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus, the New York Giants ranked dead last in the league with the fewest yards after the catch per reception in 2020 at 3.0 yards per. Not only did the Giants’ receivers struggle to separate from coverage last season, but they also struggled to make plays with the ball in their hands.
That is where Kadarius Toney comes into play. On 177 touches in his collegiate career at UF, Kadarius Toney forced an insane 64 missed tackles (PFF). Toney was the best tackle-breaking wide receiver in this year’s NFL draft. When he gets the ball in his hands, Toney destroys ankles and gains yards after the catch with ease.
Kadarius Toney forced a missed tackle on 35% of touches since 2018, which was first among the 2021 wide receiver draft class (PFF). Toney forced 32 missed tackles on 80 catches the past two seasons (PFF).
The #Giants ranked dead last with the fewest YAC/REC by WRs last season (@PFF_Linsey):
32. Giants: 3.0
Kadarius Toney fixes that instantly.
Toney had 177 touches in his career at #UF.
On those touches, he had 64 forced missed tackles.
(@PFF_College)HUMAN. JOYSTICK.#NYG pic.twitter.com/d11YneeSLr
— Anthony Rivardo (@Anthony_Rivardo) May 18, 2021
Creating yards after the catch was a huge struggle for the Giants last season. But now, with Kadarius Toney entering the lineup, and Saquon Barkley returning to the lineup, it seems like the Giants have fixed this problem.