Report: Giants Trying to Trade 2021 Gators First Round WR Kadarius Toney

Analysis of former Florida Gators wide receiver Kadarius Toney's apparent short-lived tenure in New York.

Former Florida Gators wide receiver Kadarius Toney could be on the move less than a year into his NFL career.

Toney, who was selected by the New York Giants with the No. 20 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has reportedly been placed on the trading block as the 2022 selection ceremony approaches next week, according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. 

Toney's rookie season in the Big Apple was turbulent. He paired excellent flashes of talent at times with a long list of injuries and some head-scratching decisions on and off the field, as Leonard wrote: 

There was some internal momentum for bailing on Toney during his tumultuous rookie season a year ago. His commitment came into question behind the scenes during his rookie year due to lack of playbook study, poor meeting behavior and frequent injuries.

The high-maintenance wideout hasn’t shown up to any of the team’s offseason program yet under first-year coach Brian Daboll, either. So the Giants are trying to move last year’s No. 20 overall pick.

Toney missed ample practice and game time from May through December due to a laundry list of injuries: two positive tests for COVID, a hamstring, ankle, thumb, quad, oblique and shoulder.

He got thrown out of a loss to the Cowboys for throwing a punch. And he had a toe or foot issue in OTAs when he wore the wrong-sized cleats and practiced at one point with one shoe on.

It is worth acknowledging that the reports of issues with playbook study and poor meeting behavior are exactly that, reports, as the Giants have not publicly shared these complaints about Toney. Although the issues could be true, they also could be exaggerated to justify the trade to the New York fanbase with this information leaking.

What is widely known, however, is Toney's struggles to remain on the field last year as well as his ejection for fighting against Dallas, which resulted in a $12,875 fine. With a new head coach in Daboll and a new general manager in Joe Schoen, the Giants might simply envision Toney needing a fresh start elsewhere.

Regardless of circumstances, Toney will certainly have a market should the Giants indeed move him. Toney was an electric playmaker for UF with a knack to make defenders miss, tallying 120 receptions for 1,590 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding 580 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, a passing touchdown and a punt return touchdown.

Toney caught 39 passes for 420 yards during his rookie season with the Giants. Toney's highlight game came against Dallas in Week 5, as he caught 10 passes for 189 yards before his ejection.

As a result of the NFL wide receiver market exploding this offseason — dominoes continuing to fall via trade and/or contract extension following free agency — teams still in need of a receiver may be inclined to "buy low" on Toney after his unproductive rookie season and try to develop his game while on a team-friendly contract.

Toney may be traded for a lower draft pick than you'd imagine for a first-round selection from one year ago, but with these reports in the public eye, teams won't overpay for him. That being said, receiver-needy teams may prefer to trade for Toney with, say, a third-round pick over joining the projected first-round run on receivers this year.

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