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What the Najee Toran signing tells us about the Washington Football Team’s O-Line

By Jonathan Eig

ASHBURN, VA - JUNE 08: Najee Toran #61 of the Washington Football Team in action during minicamp at Inova Sports Performance Center on June 8, 2021 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
ASHBURN, VA - JUNE 08: Najee Toran #61 of the Washington Football Team in action during minicamp at Inova Sports Performance Center on June 8, 2021 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – AUGUST 19: Najee Toran #66 of the San Francisco 49ers blocks during the game against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium on August 19, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. The 49eres defeated the Broncos 24-15. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – AUGUST 19: Najee Toran #66 of the San Francisco 49ers blocks during the game against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium on August 19, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. The 49eres defeated the Broncos 24-15. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

What we know about Najee Toran

There are only two things I know about Toran. He put up an alarmingly low 17 bench presses at his Pro Day back in 2018. I also know that some very good minds in San Francisco and New England thought enough of his football IQ and his mental toughness to give him a look despite that number.

On the surface, 17 bench presses is disqualifying for an interior lineman. Todd McShay once compiled average results for the various combine drills. The low-end average bench press for an interior lineman was 26. As a point of comparison, Aaron Donald put up 35 at the combine in 2014.

I’m no math whiz, but I can see the problem in a guard like Toran attempting to block a defensive tackle like Donald when Donald has literally twice as much upper body strength.

Still, Kyle Shanahan, whose San Francisco 49ers would have to play Donald’s Rams twice each year, decided to sign Toran as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Toran did not stick. Nor did he stick in New England, the team that picked him up in 2019.

But at both stops, coaches and teammates spoke very highly about how quickly Toran picked up schemes, and about how he showed the mental toughness of a grizzled vet.

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