Former Badgers With The Most At Stake During NFL Training Camp

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Nov 30, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Nick Toon (88) reacts after scoring an eleven yard touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Saints won 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Toon, WR, New Orleans Saints

Nick Toon’s first three NFL seasons have been rather uneventful. He only has 21 career catches for 283 yards. But his lack of production hasn’t been entirely his fault. He has been buried deep on the depth chart, with only 35 career targets to his name. But with the departure of Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills, the door for playing time is wide open for the former fourth round pick.

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Brandin Cooks and Marques Colston have the 1-2 WR slots locked up. But after that, it is Toon and a bunch of inexperienced no names and aging veterans. Saints Head Coach Sean Payton even said that Toon should be in line for more snaps this year. In fact, he is the early favorite for the #3 job. But if he doesn’t back it up in training camp, all the talk will mean nothing.

In training camp and during the Saints preseason games, Toon is going to need to show an improvement in his route running. He also has good size, and if he can utilize it well in the red zone, it’s going to be hard to keep him off the field.

And doing something like this probably wouldn’t hurt either.

If he can show Payton the necessary improvements during training camp, he should be in line for a big boost in targets. And targets from Drew Brees usually turn out well.

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