INDIANAPOLIS – Did the Colts find a core special teamer in Round 5 of the 2023 Draft?
With the 158th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Colts took California safety Daniel Scott in Round Five.
Here are 3 takeaways on Scott:
1. Older, Athletic Safety
Daniel Scott checks the boxes of continued Colts draftees—elite testing athlete, Senior Bowl participant, team captain. Scott is one of the oldest players in this entire draft, turning 25 years old in October. He played at Cal for 6 years, taking advantage of the extra COVID year. Scott started 28 career games at Cal, and offered some playmaking from a turnover standpoint, but isn’t known for his consistency in the tackling department. Scott put up one of the most impressive jumping days at the Combine.
2. Special Teams Help
More than anything, Scott is a core special teamer. Round 5 might be a hair early for a special teams specific pick, but maybe you want to give new ST coordinator Brian Mason someone he wanted to target. Scott will walk into an organization who has found some premier special teams players throughout Day 3 of drafts and even in the undrafted realm. Again, Round 5 is typically not just that for a special teamer, so we’ll see if Scott can push for safety playing time, too.
3. Was Safety A Need?
This was not the most pressing need entering the draft. But you do have some questions here in regards to Rodney McLeod still in free agency and Julian Blackmon entering a contract year. These picks almost always bring some sort of special teams impact, and Scott’s resume checks that. We will see how the playing time divies up this year with Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II heading into their second seasons, following vastly different rookie campaigns.
