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Buccanners GM on Keionte Scott: 'He's a Winner'
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- Buccanners GM on Keionte Scott: 'He's a Winner'
(Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected more than one gamer from the University of Miami in this year's draft. Their first-round pick was star defender Rueben Bain Jr., then in the fourth round, more than 100 picks after the Bucs got Bain at 15, Tampa drafted another Hurricane in cornerback Keionte Scott.
Unlike Bain, who played his entire college career in Coral Gables, Scott wasn't at Miami for long.
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He played his first two seasons at Snow College (2020-2021) in tiny Ephraim, Utah, and impressed enough at the junior-college level -- he was a two-time All-American -- to get a scholarship from Auburn.
After three seasons at Auburn, where Scott also contributed on special teams, finishing third in the country in average punt-return yardage, Scott transferred to Miami, where he had the best season of his career from both an individual and team standpoint.
Scott was a second-team All-ACC performer, starting 12 games at nickel and ending with 64 tackles, five sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns.
He was a key part of a Hurricanes team that made it to the national championship before falling to the Hoosiers.
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When discussing Scott with WDAE radio Wednesday, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said he loved Scott's passion for the game.
"He's a pressure player from the nickel position," Licht said. "He knows how to blitz. He's got good coverage skills, good zone awareness. He's a hitter. He's tough."
Per Pro Football Focus, Scott ended last season with 17 pressures, which is an above-average number for the nickel position.
Licht pointed out that people have described Scott as "the heartbeat of Miami," along with Bain, and predicted that Scott will bring his infectious energy to Tampa.
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"Just love all of that stuff about him," Licht said. "He's a winner, and he's out to prove to the world that he's better than the fourth-round pick that he was."
Licht isn't the only person who felt Scott was a steal in the fourth round.
He was the 80th-ranked player on ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s big board, and the Bucs got him at pick No. 116.
Dan Brugler of The Athletic, who gave the Bucs one of the highest draft grades of any team, said Wednesday on the Up and Adams podcast that Scott was the steal of the draft.
The analytics back up these assessments, too. PFF gave Scott the third-highest overall grade out of 896 cornerbacks at 90.5, and the second-highest run-defense grade at 91.4.
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At roughly 6-foot and 193 pounds, Scott has the build to contribute on the second level.
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