Round 7 - Pick 258, Samori Toure, WR, Nebraska

[paco]

Another guy who visited.

[paco]

[Ghost_Lombardi]

Well, I got the slot WR I had been asking for...I just thought we'd pick one younger than Cobb.

[TheSkeptic]

Another guy who visited.

Good size, 4.48 on a Pro day. 6.77 3-cone.

[BF004]

Had him in a mock or two.

Didn’t really want a 3rd WR, but this is PS territory, never complain about 7th rounds picks.

[RingoCStarrQB]

Maybe playing at Nebraska held him back...so that glass may not be as half empty as some people think. Nebraska's passing game was awful if I remember correctly......and not because of Toure. I'll root for him. Need to put pressure on WR Rodgers #8 to significantly step up his game.

[Waldo]

190 lbs at 6'
subpar bench
subpar vert
subpart get-off

That boy needs to hit the weights. These are problems a barbell can fix.

[Pckfn23]

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Draft Scouting Report:

Strengths:

Natural athlete with some nuance to his route running. Soft hands. Versatile player who can used at or around the line of scrimmage. Three years of solid production.

Weaknesses:

Thin frame with average top end speed. Has to be more physical through his routes. Limited range to make catches.

Accolades:

2021: Honorable mention All-Big Ten
2021: Set single-season program record with five 100-yard receiving games, posted second-highest yards-per-catch average in program history (19.5) among players with at least 40 catches in a season and T-sixth on program's on single-season receiving yardage list with 898.

Samori Toure (pronounced sa-MOR-ee TOO-ray) grew up in Portland, Oregon, and set school receiving records at Westview High School before signing with Montana. He impacted the team's offense as a redshirt freshman in 2017 (31-553-17.8, five TDs receiving; 21-379-18.0 kickoff returns), playing in 11 games as a reserve. Toure started 10 of 11 games played the following year (37-440-11.9, two TDs). His game went to another level as a junior, allowing him to garner third-team Associated Press All-American, Big Sky Conference Receiver of the Year and first-team all-league honors in 2019. He set school records with 87 receptions and 1,495 yards (17.2 per) while scoring 13 times in 14 starts. Toure broke an FCS playoff record with 303 receiving yards against Southeast Louisiana. The school did not play in the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19, so Toure decided to transfer to Nebraska. He led the Huskers with 898 receiving yards (46 receptions, 19.5 per) and five touchdowns in 2021, starting nine of 12 games played and scoring one rushing touchdown (8-63-7.9). -- by Chad Reuter


Analysis
By Lance Zierlein
NFL Analyst
Draft Projection
Round 6-Priority free agent
Overview
Inside/outside target with his most productive seasons coming at Montana in 2019 and Nebraska in 2021. Toure has average NFL size and speed and below-average route-running technique, but coverage tends to struggle to stay in step with him on over routes and posts. He struggles with physical coverage and contested catch opportunities. Toure might have a shot to find a back-end roster spot in an offense looking for slot speed with a scheme allowing him to catch on the move both intermediate and deep.
Strengths
Tested like an NFL receiver at pro day.
Posted five 100-yard games in his only season on FBS level.
Foot quickness for improved release success into routes.
Sharp cuts cause problems for tight man coverage underneath.
Hits accelerator at the route stem.
Creates catch separation despite average route salesmanship.
Maintains his long speed when turning to track the football.
Weaknesses
Hands will need to become more active in clearing press.
Physical cornerbacks really stall his route progress.
Sloppy getting in and out of route breaks.
Better speed variance needed with routes on the next level.
Slightly below-average hands as pass-catcher.
His run-after-catch is nothing special.

Nebraska’s Samori Toure is a productive receiver who looks to make the climb from FCS to FBS to the NFL. Toure is a graduate transfer who played one year at Nebraska after enjoying an outstanding career with the University of Montana. Toure put up video-game-like numbers with the Grizzlies totaling 155 receptions for 2,488 yards and 20 touchdowns in three seasons. A highlight of Toure’s career with Montana is when he broke Randy Moss’s single-game receiving record in an FCS playoff game when he put up 303 yards against Southern Louisiana. Toure is a long and lean receiver who possesses excellent length.

He primarily aligns in the slot, where he is allowed free releases and a lot of room to operate. Toure is a good athlete overall who possesses fluid hips and good foot control. He runs a full route tree, showing an ability to sink his hips and get in and out of breaks very smoothly—impressive for a man his size. He is best working down the field on deep routes where he can open his stride, create separation, and track the ball. Toure is a build-to-speed runner who lacks an explosive gear or burst. He has excellent body control, hands, and ball skills, but his slender frame doesn’t allow for much physicality at the catch point. Toure is good after the catch with agility to make defenders miss but is not a physical runner with the ball in his hands. Overall, Toure is a technically advanced receiver who has good size, ball skills, and enough vertical speed, but his lack of twitch and physicality hinders his ability to consistently win against NFL defenders.

Ideal Role: Versatile receiver who is best as a “Big Slot” but can be moved across the formation to hit favorable matchups.

Scheme Fit: Spread System or heavy 11-10 based personnel

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Brentley Weissman

Games watched: SE Louisiana (2019), Michigan (2021), Illinois (2021), Ohio State (2021)

Best Game Studied: Ohio State (2021)

Worst Game Studied: Michigan (2021)

Route Running: See Above.

Hands: See Above.

Separation: Vertically, Toure shows an ability to get behind defenses with his deceptive long speed. While he certainly isn’t an explosive athlete with back-breaking speed, he does show good build-up speed with his long stride down the field. He lacks short-area quickness and suddenness when working horizontally or working back toward the football. He is best down the field rather than in the short areas of the football field.

Release Package: Toure is moved all over the line of scrimmage in order to create favorable matchups. He primarily aligns in the slot where he is granted with free releases, so you don’t see a wide variety of moves from a release standpoint. That being said, there are times where he shows a nice stutter off the line as well as hand swipes and swim moves to get free and by the corner.

Run After the Catch: Toure is just an above average player after the catch. He isn’t an explosive mover and doesn’t make explosive cuts with the ball in his hands to make defenders miss. More slippery than sudden, Toure does do a good job to evade and elude defenders with good vision and spin moves. Not the most physical player with the ball in his hands, Toure isn’t a candidate to break many tackles.

Ball Skills: Toure has excellent ball skills. He has a large catch radius and can make himself open for his quarterback at all three levels of the field. He shows an ability to track the deep ball with ease and has very good body control to play the ball in the air. Very good awareness and control when working the sideline and making those toe-tap catches.

Football I.Q: A smart and savvy football player, Toure has very good football instincts. He shows good ability to work and understand leverage when working down his stem to uncover. He flashes very good awareness when facing zone coverage and knows when to sit down and make himself open for his quarterback. A natural technician who takes pride in his craft.

Versatility: See Above.

Competitive Toughness: Toure is a warrior on the football field who leaves it all out there every play. He never gives up early on the play and that’s whether the ball comes to him out not. He is a willing blocker, runs hard with the ball in his hands, and never quits on routes.

Big Play Ability: Toure was a big-play machine in his collegiate career. A highly-productive deep threat who routinely got behind the defenses, his ability to win down the field is highly impressive. He may lack explosiveness, quickness and vertical speed but he has excellent ball skills, hands, and length.

SCOUT GRADES

TDN Consensus: 71.50/100 (Fifth Round Value)

Crabbs Grade: 70.50/100

Harris Grade: 72.00/100

Weissman Grade: 72.00/100

[NCF]

[YoHoChecko]

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AFC scout: “Flashes the ability to slip past press defenders but struggles to cleanly pull away when working downfield. Shows competitiveness but can be outmuscled and shows inconsistent finish in traffic. Smooth athlete with subtle agility and short-area quickness as a route runner. Adequate movement skills and hands but lacks ideal top-end speed. Finesse route runner. Priority free agent.”

[YoHoChecko]

I know the numbers at WR might not make sense for this next statement, but I feel really solid about this guy. Maybe he winds up being a PS guy this year, but it would not at all surprise me if he's rostered. The combination of his college clips, massive production at Montana St, his minicamp clips that I've seen, and the quiet confidence he displays in interviews--not to mention how much he missed football by sitting out 2020 in the COVID year and how it seemed to refocus him on wanting to do what he loves. I think this guy is an NFL player.

[wallyuwl]

Herman said he got in and out of his breaks fast and smooth at minicamp.

[YoHoChecko]

Herman said he got in and out of his breaks fast and smooth at minicamp.

I’ve only seen two clips, but both jumped. Like I didn’t expect it to be Toure. I wondered if it was an old clip of MVS (same number)