Persistence pays off for older, athletic fifth-round Colts safety Daniel Scott
INDIANAPOLIS — Daniel Scott could have given up on his dream, could’ve bailed on the rest of the Cal football team.
The safety spent four years at Cal before he got a chance to start on defense, before he had a chance to make his case for the NFL. In the era of the transfer portal, a story like Scott’s is rare, sticking it out on one college roster for six consecutive seasons, especially without significant playing time.
Scott’s persistence paid off in a big way Saturday.
Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard traded the second of four fifth-round picks Saturday, dealing the 141st pick to Minnesota for No. 158 and No. 211, picking up a sixth-round pick, the lone round the Colts didn’t hold a pick when the day opened.
The Colts used No. 158 to draft Scott, a freakish physical prospect who finally earned a starting role in his final two seasons in Berkely and responded with 80-plus tackles and three interceptions in each of those seasons, earning himself a Senior Bowl invite and a shot at the NFL Combine.
“It was one of those things where the grass isn’t always greener on the other side,” Scott said. “I also knew the more opportunity that I had, the more tape that I could show, I would showcase my abilities. Decided to come back for my fifth and sixth year, and I think we made the most of it.”
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His NFL Combine performance likely caught the eye of the Colts, who have focused their entire weekend on the draft’s best athletes, beginning with quarterback Anthony Richardson at No. 4.
Scott, a 6-1, 208-pounder, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45, bench-pressed 225 pounds a remarkable 22 times, posted a vertical jump of 39.5 inches and posted excellent times in the change-of-direction drills, likely making him a prime candidate to play on all four special teams units right away.
Cracking the playing rotation at safety is likely going to be difficult. Indianapolis already has three young safeties it considers to be starting-caliber: Julian Blackmon, Rodney Thomas II and 2023 third-round pick Nick Cross, a gifted athlete the Colts hope will develop into a starting strong safety this season.
But Scott is no stranger to special teams.
He’s already learned that standing out on special teams can end up leading to bigger things later in his career, as long as a player has enough drive and patience.
“That’s how I got my opportunity at Cal, and that’s probably how I’m going to get my opportunity with the Colts,” Scott said. “Knowing that value, and being of value, to the team is of high importance.”
The Colts agree.
Under Chris Ballard, a handful of late-round picks — Zaire Franklin, Isaiah Rodgers, E.J. Speed — have parlayed core special teams roles into bigger defensive roles eventually, and new special teams coordinator Brian Mason knows that’s part of his job in Indianapolis.
The Colts hope Scott can eventually develop in the same kind of way.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Persistence pays off for fifth-round safety Daniel Scott
