Cal Sports Report

Cal’s Daniel Scott Has Great 40-Yard Dash Time at NFL Combine

His measurements in the vertical jump and broad jump were among the best at his position too

Jake Curtis

Cal safety Daniel Scott put up some impressive numbers in the events in which he participated at Friday’s NFL Combine exercises, and it had to help his stock heading into the NFL Draft.

He most impressive event was the 40-yard dash, the glamour event of the Combine. Scott recorded a time of 4.45 seconds, which was the second-best among the 19 safeties who participated and just 0.01 of a second off the best time of 4.44 posted by Pittsburgh's Brandon Hill.

Seven of the safeties turned in times of 4.6 or slower, so if there were any doubts about Scott's speed, he presumably put them to rest.

Cornerbacks are expected to be a little faster than safeties, but Scott's time was better than that of Joey Porter Jr., who is rated among the top three cornerback prospects in the upcoming draft and is likely to be a first-round pick.

Scott fared nearly as well in the other events in which he participated.

The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Scott, who played six years at Cal, measured 39.5 inches in the vertical jump, which ranked fifth-best among the 19 safeties who participated in that event.

The top safety vertical leap was recorded by Illinois’ Jartavius Martin, who jumped 44.0 inches. But six of the safeties recorded leaps of 33 inches or less, so Scott was in pretty good company.

Scott was even better in the broad jump with a leap of 10 feet, 8 inches, which was fourth-best among safeties and just five inches off the best leap, again by Martin, of 11 feet, 1 inch. Nine of the 19 safeties at the Combine failed to reach 10 feet with their broad jumps, so again Scott was among the elite.

Scott was again among the top participants in the 10-yard Split event (a timing of the first 10 yards of their 40-yard dash). Scott placed tied for fifth among the 19 safeties in the 10-yard split, which some scouts consider more important than the 40-yard dash. Scott's time of 1.55 seconds was just 0.04 of a second slower than the second-fastest time, although Martin had the fastest time, an impressive 1.47 seconds.

Scott apparently proved he is a pro-caliber athlete. He also had excellent times in the 20-yard shuttle and the three-cone drill, although not many safeties participated in those.

His time of 6.75 seconds in the three-cone drill was easily better than the only other safety who participated, but more significantly it was better than all but one of the five cornerbacks who ran the three-cone drill.

In the 20-yard shuttle, Scott posted a time of 4.17 seconds, easily the best of the three safeties who participated and better than all but one of the nine cornerbacks who ran the 20-yard shuttle. For comparison sake, Clark Phillips III, the Utah cornerback who might get taken in the first round, recorded a time of 4.32 seconds in this event.

Defensive backs also participated in drills, with Scott shown here. (Pay attention to the commentary in the video):

Scott is scheduled to participate in the bench press among several events scheduled for Saturday.

The combine is important to Scott, who would like to improve his pro stock heading into the NFL Draft, which will be held April 27-29. Scott is seen by most analysts as a prospect who is likely to taken on the third day of the draft, when rounds four through seven are selected, if he is drafted at all.

NFL Draft Scout projects Scott to go either in the seventh round or be taken as an undrafted free agent.

Click here for some excerpts from Scott’s Thursday media interview. His part begins 1:56 into the video below.

Daniel Scott 2 interview

Yahoo.com reported Scott might be a player the Packers consider drafting on the third day:

A player that Brian Gutekunst could target on day three of the 2023 NFL Draft that has plenty of special teams experience is Daniel Scott. The California safety checks in at No. 83 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.

The Athletic mock draft projected that the Giants will take Scott in the seventh round.

And the Raiders might consider taking Scott, according the SI.com Raiders site, which says this:

Projected as a day three selection in the NFL Draft, Scott draws optimism from his four ex-safety teammates who have been selected in the draft in the last two years.

If he shows out at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, don’t be shocked if you hear his name called on draft day by the Raiders.

Scott performed well in the Senior Bowl, as he notes in this segment of his Thursday media interview:

Here is Scott's prospect profile provided by NFL.com:

A team captain with size, tools and six seasons of collegiate experience, Scott will turn 25 during the 2023 season. His age could hurt his chances with some teams, but his athleticism and four-phase special teams background will help him with others. He’s more confident and capable as a field-reading center fielder than he is sifting through bunch formations and matching in man coverage. He was a teammate to four Cal defensive backs who were drafted in recent years, and he could be next up thanks to his football character and special teams talent.

Strengths

Team captain with plus football character.

Asked to play in a variety of alignments in Cal’s defense.

Reads quarterback and route development in single-high looks.

Pedals and transitions with quick feet and smooth hips.

Posted 167 tackles and six interceptions over the last two seasons.

Fast run recognition with eager trigger toward the action.

Weaknesses

Recovery burst is just average.

Can be head-faked out of position in man coverage.

Multiple coverage busts against Oregon.

Takes a while to shed the tight end’s block.

Lack of length stymies tackle success in space.

Needs to come to balance at proper angles as tackler.

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Jake Curtis
JAKE CURTIS

Jake Curtis worked in the San Francisco Chronicle sports department for 27 years, covering virtually every sport, including numerous Final Fours, several college football national championship games, an NBA Finals, world championship boxing matches and a World Cup. He was a Cal beat writer for many of those years, and won awards for his feature stories.

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