A lot of teams put an emphasis on the NFL Draft, but not many franchises put more into it than the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their philosophy is to draft and develop players that fit their system more so than dipping into free agency. Taking a look at the sustained success that has occurred in Pittsburgh, it is hard to argue against that strategy.
The Steelers are notoriously quiet in free agency when it comes to signing players away from other teams. There are always some gaps that need to be filled by veterans, but for the most part, it is homegrown players that are developed and see their roles grow.
One player that could join those ranks this year is safety Daniel Scott of California. The Steelers are one of two teams, along with the Detroit Lions, that Scott will be hosted by for a pre-draft meeting in April. But, that number is expected to grow after he had a phenomenal showing at the NFL Combine.
With the safety position not being very deep in this draft class, players will have a chance to shoot up boards. Scott gave himself that opportunity as he ran a 4.45 40-yard dash and recorded a 39.5-inch vertical with a 10’8” broad jump. His shuttle times of 4.17 in the short shuttle and 6.75 in the three-cone drill were also very impressive.
Those kinds of numbers led to Scott scoring a 9.91 in Kent Lee Platte’s Relative Athletic Score, which is a top-10 number among all safeties in the last 35 years. There will certainly be teams willing to take a chance on that level of athleticism in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Scott played five seasons with the Golden Bears, so he is an older prospect. He recorded 207 career tackles with seven tackles for loss and one sack. In the last two seasons, Scott recorded six of his seven career interceptions as well.
Despite his age, Scott has put himself squarely in the mix to be drafted at some point on Day 3. His combination of size and skills, especially when playing the ball, make him an ideal fit as the last line of defense, playing the centerfield role. If he lands in the right situation, Scott has a real chance to blossom into a solid player at the next level.
