Official 2009 NFL Draft Thread

[Goober Man]

Greg Toler? Dunno who that is

 

[Evil Ash]

Greg Toler. Ok never heard of him

 

[Dr. Jones]

This is like Hightower. lol

WHO??

 

[Buckybird]

u have to be kidding me, he has to return kicks

 

[Nash2Amare]

Cornerback? ....I hope he is good then..

 

[stretchthefield]

And we have our return guy

 

[Zeno]

Who?

 

[azdad1978]

Greg Toler?!?!?!?!!

yup

 

[WildBB]

Booooooooo!

 

[anks106]

Toler??

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

we're going to get another good player whoever we take.

maybe i was wrong.

 

[Dr. Jones]

From NFL.com

Overview Toler was one of the premier athletes in the Washington D.C. prep ranks, the talented defender never got the opportunity to wear a college uniform, much less earn a high school diploma.

Toler exhausted his first chance at football stardom at Northwestern High School because of poor grades. Once recruiters from Division I schools viewed his high school transcripts, he was not interested. His grades made it a struggle to stay eligible for his senior football season.

At the end of his senior high school season, Toler was ineligible to attend high school all-star games, missing a chance to earn an athletic scholarship from a major university.

"I never took my grades seriously like I should have," he said. "My coaches kept telling me that education's first, that you'll never be a student-athlete unless you're a good student."

After graduation, Toler wound up as a storeroom clerk at JCPenney, stocking shelves and sweeping aisles. He was living at home with his mother and older brother, knew he had the potential to be a college athlete, but that opportunity, he figured, was gone. That was until he met Wilson High School football coach Mark Martin, who recruited Toler for his semipro football team, the D.C. Explosion.

After a few games with the Explosion, Toler was approached by Kevin Grisby, a defensive coordinator at Saint Paul's College, the historically black school tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains of southern Virginia. Budget cuts killed the college's football program in 1987 but wanted back in, billing itself as the place giving recruits a second chance. It was a school where players with Division I talent could continue to play despite previous off-field problems.

Grisby immediately found a disciple in Toler, whose father had died in the Lorton prison while serving time for drug possession, and he used the one year that St. Paul's competed as a club team to focus on his grades.

"It started off rough, but we worked his grade-point average up, meeting once a week just to talk about his academics," said Grisby, a former NFL safety with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Toler quickly grabbed a starting position at left cornerback, going on to start his next 40 contests. He set school career records with 14 interceptions, 36 pass breakups and 50 passes defended (average of 0.80 passes defended per game was the top career mark for active Division II players in 2008).

In his first college season, Toler garnered All-CIAA first-team honors, in addition to making the league's All-Rookie squad. In 10 games, he recorded 38 tackles (24 solo) with three stops for loss. He recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and broke up 13 passes in 2005. His six interceptions tied for 18th in the NCAA Division II ranks, while his total of 19 passes defended placed third nationally.

In 2006, Toler produced 35 tackles (24 solo), picking off one pass while batting down three others during a "sophomore slump." He bounced back with a banner junior campaign, receiving All-CIAA first-team honors. He had an interception with seven pass deflections, averaging 8.2 yards on ten punt returns and 16.8 yards on six kickoff returns. He also ranked eighth on the team with 37 tackles (16 solo), as he did not allow a pass reception in four of 10 games he started.

The left cornerback earned All-CIAA and Little All-American first-team honors in 2008. He placed fourth on the team with a career-high 51 tackles (37 solo), including 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He tied for ninth in the nation and second in the league with six interceptions and set the school record with three blocked kicks, returning one blocked punt for a touchdown. He knocked down 13 other tosses, as his total of 19 passes defended tied for the CIAA title while ranking second nationally.

High School Attended Northwestern (Washington, D.C.) High School...The two-time All-Metro choice competed as a cornerback, wide receiver and return specialist...Ruled academically ineligible for post-season competition after his senior campaign.

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.


Analysis Positives: He has good change-of-direction agility and the sudden burst needed to close on the play. He will generally stay under control coming out of his pedal and has the natural ability to open his hips in order to generate a quicker second gear. He possesses smooth hips in transition and natural hands to field the ball. While lacking in ideal strength, he shows good athleticism for the cornerback position. Marginal student, but is good picking up schemes and reacting to plays in front of him. Well-liked by staff and teammates. Effective in man coverage and gives total effort on the field. Volunteered to play on all the special team coverage units, in addition to handling return chores. Good toughness in run support (made 23 plays vs. the ground game in 2008) and picks up schemes easily.

Negatives: Toler was hailed as having blazing speed, but he is quicker than he is fast on film. Questionable zone-anticipation ability (stares into the backfield and fails to handle the switch effectively on combo routes). Not the type to make calls and keep defenders in position, but does not need more than a few reps to retain plays. Compliant in the weight room, but his numbers there indicate that he still has a long way to go before he can compete for a position at the NFL level. When he gets too high in his stance, he will take false steps in transition.

Compares To: MARCUS TRUFANT, Seattle -- Toler returned to freshman form in 2008 and has very good quickness on the field. He is a work in progress handling zone coverage responsibilities and lacks the strength to attack ballcarriers. His strength issues also come into play when he fails to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. There is much for him to learn, especially coming from his level of competition. However, cornerback is a position at which you can draft an athlete first and hope to develop his football skills.

Injury Report No injuries reported.

Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.

 

[Unsterblich856]

I think this is our Hightower pick of the year. But he might not see the field until Ralph Brown and Rod Hood are gone...

 

[TJ]

This had better be our KR; otherwise, we just made our first draft snafoo

 

[Gambo is a Turd]

Wow. Was he not going to be there in the 5th?

 

[azdad1978]

Poor man's version of DRC

 

[binkar]

This guy better be a return guy cause I don't know who the heck he is.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

WTH IS THIS team doing!!??? WE NEED PASSRUSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


fcol!

 

[Chopper0080]

From NFL Countdown

Cornerback | Senior | St. Paul's Gregory Toler
Height: 5-111/4 | Weight: 191 | 40-Time: 4.45

Official Bio


Strengths:
Great athleticism...Possesses prototypical size...Excellent speed and quickness...Closes fast and has a burst to recover...Terrific hands and ball skills...Smooth with fluid hips...Tough and aggressive...Not afraid to support the run...Solid instincts...Confident...Good special teamer.

Weaknesses:
Did not play against elite competition...Isn't very strong...Technique and footwork are very raw...Has trouble getting off blocks...Gambles and takes some chances...An average tackler...Had academic troubles.

Notes:
Attempting to become the first prospect from St. Paul's, a historically black Division II school in Virginia, selected in the NFL Draft...Was a four-year starter for the Tigers and never missed a game...Poor grades in high school led to him working as a storeroom clerk at JCPenney stocking shelves and sweeping aisles...Played for the semipro D.C. Explosion before landing at St. Paul's...Was named 1st Team All-CIAA four times...Also worked as a return man and has a knack for blocking kicks...Really put himself on the map with standout showings at the East Coast Bowl and Cactus Bowl all-star games...Made a dramatic late rise up draft boards...Small school jewel with intriguing physical tools.

Career Statistics
Year GP TKL PBU INT YDS
2005 10 38 13 6 82
2006 10 35 5 1 0
2007 10 37 7 1 0
2008 10 51 13 6 20
Totals 40 161 38 14 102

 

[Nash2Amare]

Toler: Strengths:
Great athleticism...Possesses prototypical size...Excellent speed and quickness...Closes fast and has a burst to recover...Terrific hands and ball skills...Smooth with fluid hips...Tough and aggressive...Not afraid to support the run...Solid instincts...Confident...Good special teamer.

http://www.draftcountdown.com/scoutingreports/cb/Gregory-Toler.php

edit: so KR??

 

[Folster]

And we have our return guy

That's what I was thinking. Does anyone know if he does in fact return kicks. ESPN sais he had a 4.44 40 time.

 

[Ryanwb]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/story/11661486

 

[AsUdUdE]

I am not mad... I just am disappointed because I think we could have gotten this guy in the 5th round... just sayin....

 

[TJ]

Ok so he has experience returning the rock....but doesnt sound like it is his specialty

 

[Shogun]

The wind is officially out of my sail.