As an NFL Draft hopeful, Penn State’s Shaka Toney carries consistency, production to the next level
Shaka Toney is one week away from taking the next step in his football career.
With the NFL draft just around the corner, the former Nittany Lion defensive end is about to step into a world filled with unknowns. The unknown of NFL life, the unknown of where he’ll end up and the unknown of where his career will take him are all lingering at that next step.
In that mess of unknowns, however, there are some known aspects of what lies ahead. Toney already has relationships in the league with former teammates, but especially with one coach who played a major role in his development on and off the field — New York Giants defensive line coach Sean Spencer.
“I don’t have a father,” Toney said after his pro day at Penn State. “That’s the closest thing I have to a dad, honestly. I call him my crazy uncle. ... He’s the person that taught me how to tie my tie, how to really understand how to talk to people, how to interact. The little details of being a man, shaving, you name it. He really taught me so much. I’m eternally grateful.”
Whether or not he is reunited again with Spencer at the next level is unknown. But he’s already utilized his coaching — and the coaching of current defensive line coach John Scott Jr. — to get him to this point.
Toney has grown from an undersized defensive end who didn’t have the strength to hold up in the Big Ten to a legitimate NFL prospect as an EDGE who is one week away from having that chance realized.
The former Nittany Lion has been competing with athletic freaks for the entirety of his Penn State career, so it’s no surprise that he took a back seat to the show Micah Parsons and Jayson Oweh put on at the team’s pro day in March. Parsons and Oweh both ran faster in the 4.3s for their 40-yard dash and were the talk of the workouts.
While the two projected-first-round picks were the focal point of the showcase, Toney didn’t blink at their prowess. It’s nothing new to the defensive end who spent the early part of his career with his locker next to one of the best athletes the program has ever seen.
“When I was a freshman, my locker was next to Saquon (Barkley),” Toney said. “You just get used to it. You go to a big-time program, there are gonna be guys like that. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be working as hard as them. You should be trying to outwork them at the end of the day. Some people are just going to be more gifted at some things.”
Toney took that chip on his shoulder and developed into a high-level pass rusher over his five years at Penn State. He racked up 20.5 sacks over 47 games in college, placing him eighth all-time among Nittany Lion career sack leaders. That includes five in only nine games as a senior, when he was at his best.
His steadiness as a pass rusher provided a consistent presence for the defensive line group, but he continually improved while always showing that consistent baseline. Toney went from not making an all-conference team as a redshirt sophomore, to making the coaches second team in the conference, to earning All-Big Ten first team honors from both the coaches and media as a redshirt senior.
His impact on the group he led last season isn’t likely to fade just because he’s leaving. A new group of defensive ends will take over after Oweh and Toney depart and at least one of those players is already leaning on what he learned from Toney to help take the next step forward.
“I recently talked to Shaka,” sophomore defensive end Adisa Isaac said earlier this month. “Just getting feedback, just been picking his brain even since I got on campus. Asking him, ‘How do you do this? When do you do this? Why do you do this?’ Just asking him everything. ... Just finding little pieces I can add that we can incorporate into this team that we have here.”
The legacy he leaves will be important in producing the next great group of Penn State defensive ends, but he’s also fully prepared for what comes next in his own career.
Toney doesn’t have Spencer to vouch for him to scouts on any team other than his own, but Scott Jr. said there are plenty of things to like about the former Nittany Lion and what he can provide to an NFL roster.
“Shaka is a super, super smart football player,” Scott Jr. said earlier this month. “He’s been one of the smartest football players I’ve been around at that position. He’s one of the guys that can tell you what all 11 (defensive players) are doing. He has a great knowledge and understanding of defenses. I think he’s multi-talented. ... Shaka can put his hand down and play nickel defensive end and play off the edge. That’s impressive, but he can also be a 3-4 outside linebacker and drop into coverage. ... I think you’re getting a high IQ football player with Shaka Toney on your football team.”
Regardless of where he lands, Toney plans to take advantage of the opportunity at hand. He’s done that at Penn State, where he played alongside some of the best athletes in the country and — in plenty of situations — outperformed them.
He knows his path to the NFL is an unlikely one, but is prepared to put in the level of. work necessary to get where he wants to go and give himself a chance at the next level.
“I’m just grateful,” Toney said. “I come from humble beginnings. Not a highly recruited guy, had to work my way up. I sat behind guys, had to play a role. I’m just grateful I got an opportunity. There’s a lot of guys that would kill, that would die to switch shoes with me ... I’m just grateful every single day. ... I’m just trying to maximize every day. Just keep being grateful, keep being humble.”
