Cal’s Daniel Scott: Perhaps Third-Round Pick, Perhaps Undrafted

No consensus where the former Golden Bears safety will go in this week’s NFL draft, but Cal has sent four safeties to the NFL the past three years

Experts can’t seem to agree on the draft status of former Cal safety Daniel Scott, who was a virtual nobody until he wowed scouts at the NFL Combine. That elevated Scott to an uncertain draft level, and we won't know exactly what teams think of Scott until the NFL draft plays out Thursday through Saturday.

Some seem to think he will be taken as early as the third round. Others suggest he won’t be drafted until the seventh round, if at all. The disagreement with Scott seems to come from his Combine workouts. Scott was considered a player who would have to make the NFL as an undrafted free agent until he opened scouts’ eyes with an outstanding performance at the NFL Combine, which he backed up with a strong showing at Cal Pro day. His 40-yard-dash time of 4.45 seconds at the Combine, dispelled notions that Scott was not fast enough to play in the NFL. His other measurables were also surprisingly impressive, suggesting he is athletic enough to play at the NFL level.

If Scott is drafted somewhere between the third and sixth rounds, which is the most likely outcome, he will join a host of former Cal defensive backs who were drafted as safeties and are now in the NFL. Already playing in the pros are Jets safety Ashtyn Davis, Falcons safety Jaylinn Hawkins, Vikings safety Camryn Bynum and Bears safety Elijah Hicks, all of whom were Scott’s teammates at Cal for at least three college seasons.

Scott was a two-year starter for Cal, but early in his six-year Cal career he was overshadowed by the Golden Bears defensive backs listed above. He was not one of the eight defensive backs chosen for the all-Pac-12 first or second team in 2022, receiving only honorable mention. But Scott is a solid performer with good instincts who can only be appreciated over time. Or after seeing his Combine performance.

Scott is not expected to be taken on Thursday, when only the first round is selected, but there is an outside chance he will be chosen on Friday, when the second and third rounds come off the board. If he isn’t gone by Friday, he is likely to be selected on Saturday when rounds four through seven are conducted.

Let’s take a look at where the experts place Scott in mock drafts and his prospect ranking:

Mock Drafts

---Chad Reuter of NFL.com predicts that Scott will be taken in the third round by Jacksonville

---Matt Miller of ESPN.com projects Scott will be taken in the sixth round by New England

---Josh Edwards of CBS Sports has Scott going with the first pick of the sixth round, taken by Kansas City

---Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports predicts Scott with be a sixth-round pick, going to the Rams

---Pro Football Focus projects Scott will be taken in the sixth round, by Jacksonville

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Prospect Rankings

---Todd McShay of ESPN on April 10 ranked Scott No. 100 on his list of the top 100 prospects for the 2023 NFL draft. That would make Scott a late third-round pick or thereabout.

---But on April 26, Todd McShay dopped Scott to No. 110 on his ranking of the top 350 draft prospects. 

---Rob Rang of Fox Sports also lists Scott No. 100 on his list of the top 100 draft prospects. Again late third round.

---Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN does not list Scott among his top 150 prospects for the 2023 draft, and ranks Scott 14th among safety prospects. That pushes Scott back to the late rounds, perhaps undrafted.

---Jordan Reid of ESPN ranks Scott No. 225 on his list of draft prospects and 14th among safeties. That would make him a seventh-round pick.

---Pro Football Network places Scott at No. 178 in its ranking of the draft prospects. That would suggest Scott would be taken late in the fifth round or early in the sixth.

---The Athletic does not rank Scott among its top 100 draft prospects:

---CBS Sports ranks Scott No. 109 among its list of prospects, which would put him in the fourth round. It includes this evaluation, which suggests Scott has a chance to be a starter in the NFL:

Draft Scouting Report:

Rating:

78.67 (Chance to start)

Pro Comparison:

Taylor Rapp

Accolades:

---4.45-second 40-yard dash (second-fastest safety at 2023 combine)

---2022: Tied-fourth in Pac-12 in interceptions (three) and tied-fifth in forced fumbles (two)

Summary:

On film, Daniel Scott is better than Juan Thornhill, Taylor Rapp, and Nasir Adderley, who were all late second-rounders in recent years. He's a sideline-to-sideline player who covers a lot of ground both in coverage and vs. the run. His timed speed will be critical in deciding when he gets drafted because he looked slow at times during Senior Bowl week.

Strengths:

---Will come from heavens and lay the wood in run support near the line of scrimmage

---Fluid movements both laterally and north/south; sudden, explosive when changing directions

---Reads routes extremely well; will jump out-breaking routes from deep safety and arrive when the ball does

---Plays like he's shot out of a cannon from center field when coming downhill on quick throws

---Wrap-up tackler in space who might be one of the best DBs at minimizing YAC opportunities

Weaknesses:

---Will turn 25 in October 2023

---Listed as 4.60 40-yard dash before the 2022 season, so combine/pro day times will be critical

---Almost always around the ball but will sometimes slide off tackles he should make

---Struggled in 1-vs-1 drills at the Senior Bowl; looked slow at times, and was exposed

Combine Results:

---40-Yard Dash: 4.45 seconds

---Vertical: 39.5 inches

---Broad Jump: 10 feet, 8 inches

---3-Cone Drill: 6.75 seconds

---Shuttle Run: 4.17 seconds

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Cover photo of Daniel Scott is by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

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