Former Penn State Football defensive end locks up roster spot
By Nick Kreiser
A former Penn State Football player has once again defied the odds, and has exceeded expectations on the football field.
Coming out of high school, Shaka Toney was only a three star prospect, ranking as the 838th best player in the country for the class of 2016, according to 247 Sports’ rankings.
From there, Toney went on to play in 47 games (starting in 22) for a Penn State Football team that was consistently a top 20 team during his time.
Now, Toney has defied the odds yet again, this time as a member of the Washington Football Team.
Back in April, to the surprise of many Penn State Football fans, Toney fell all the way to the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft, being selected by the Washington Football Team at pick number 246. Now, just four months later, he is on their 53 man roster.
Per source, DE Shaka Toney will be on the 53-man roster. Quickness, but also: bigger guy who can run and they used him in a lot of special teams roles.
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 31, 2021
Approximately only 30-35% of players drafted in the sixth and seventh round make the 53 man roster.
Shaka Toney is one of those football players.
Toney was always a fan favorite in Happy Valley, where he compiled 20 sacks, 28.5 tackles for loss, and forced four fumbles over the course of his four year career. Now, he will have the opportunity to try to replicate some of that success at the highest level. He has a lot of talent in front of him on Washington’s depth chart, but that has not stopped him yet.
Now, Toney has the chance to continue to exceed expectations for years to come, and will continue to make his family, friends, and the entire Penn State community proud.