Daniel Scott NFL Draft Overview
Position: Safety
Height: 6′-1″
Weight: 208 pounds
School: California
2023 NFL Draft: Daniel Scott Scouting Report
After spending the past five seasons with the California Golden Bears, Daniel Scott has finally declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. The safety is coming off a strong season that saw him record 85 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, and three interceptions in 12 games.
Daniel Scott originally joined the college football world back in 2018. After redshirting through that initial campaign and spending most of 2019 as a backup, the California native finally earned a larger role in 2020. Appearing in only four games, the safety recorded 20 tackles. He finally made a name for himself in 2021, recording 82 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, one sack, and three interceptions in 12 games.
Strengths
- Athletically gifted – his spider chart is mostly filled in;
- Rangy safety that can handle Cover-1 deep responsibilities;
- Smart player that can read a quarterback and discourage deep throws;
- Can move into the slot for certain matchups;
- Built for the position;
- Plenty of experience on special teams.
Weaknesses
- Considerably better in zone than man – bites too hard on double moves;
- Struggles to recover when beat in man;
- Already 25 years old – not much room for growth;
- Can be bulldozed by bigger running backs – needs to learn to wrap up;
- Tight ends take on a ride in run support when they get two hands on him;
- Takes poor angles to get to the ball carrier.
NFL Comparison: Duron Harmon
Teams With Need at Position: Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: Round 4
Bottom Line on Daniel Scott
Daniel Scott might not be the most versatile player in the NFL Draft, but he does have a set of skills that should translate to a specific role at the next level. Scott is at his best when he’s defending the pass from center field, and that is a very important ability in today’s NFL. The California product has the range and athleticism to play sideline to sideline, and his above-average anticipation and ability to read the quarterback’s eyes allow him to break up deep passes and encourage smaller gains.
Additionally, he can also move to the slot with some success. While he definitely thrives playing away from the line of scrimmage, he has the ability to hold his own against tight ends and bigger slot receivers. However, he’s not perfect here, as he struggles to keep up with shiftier guys and struggles to make up lost ground when he loses his man on double moves.
Daniel Scott can be valuable in the right role on passing downs, but he nothing short of a liability against the run. The safety struggles to shed block, take proper angles, and wrap up ball carriers in the open field. You’d think that he’d be able to improve here thanks to his impressive build, but he’s already 25. If he hasn’t figured that out by now, it’s unlikely he ever will.
Ultimately, it’s more important to be a good pass defender than a run defender, and Scott’s ability to take away the deep part of the field means that he will hear his name called at some point during the 2023 NFL Draft. However, his limited role and weakness against the run means that he’ll probably be on the board until Day 3.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
