On Nick Scott, Saquon Barkley, and a Winding Road to the Super Bowl
Nick Scott, who likely will start at safety for the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl, was a Penn State running back seven years ago. Then Saquon Barkley arrived, wearing No. 26, leaping over a Buffalo defender and prompting Scott to rethink his future.
As Scott said while at Penn State, "I tell people all the time, there are 26 reasons I moved to safety."
Scott's brings a unique story to Super Bowl 56, one that has grown more compelling during the postseason. Thrust into the Rams' starting lineup in January following Jordan Fuller's season-ending injury, Scott has made big plays at key moments in the Super Bowl run.
Against Arizona in the wild-card round, Scott delivered a ferocious hit on receiver AJ Green to break up a pass. The Rams followed with a pick-6 on the next play to take a 21-0 lead.
The following week at Tampa Bay, Scott became the answer to the trivia question, "Who is the last player to intercept Tom Brady?" Scott's second-quarter interception helped the Rams take a 20-3 lead into halftime.
And against San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game, Scott delivered another huge hit, this time against Deebo Samuel just before halftime.
In all, Scott has made 12 tackles, broken up three passes and intercepted a pass during the playoffs, earning his spot in the Rams' starting lineup for the Super Bowl. But Los Angeles coach Sean McVay has seen Scott emerge as a growing contributor all season long.
"You originally draft him out of Penn State with the visions of him being special teams player, and all he's really shown is, 'Hey, I'm a great football player that has the ability to contribute on special teams. When I get my ops on defense, I can be a really productive safety,'" McVay told the Rams website in late October. "He does an excellent job in the deep part of the field. He's really closed out three games for us if you look at it: closes out the Indianapolis game making a great tackle on the far sideline, ends up having the interception against Seattle, and then the interception [against Detroit]. So he's been the closer for us. He's done a great job."
But what might have been had Scott remained at his original position? He arrived at Penn State in 2014 (with Rams teammate Troy Reeder, a starting linebacker) as a three-star prospect at running back. Scott played the position for two years, starting one game in 2015, along with special teams.
But a moment early in the 2015 season changed his career trajectory. Barkley, then a freshman, hurdled a defender against Buffalo in Week 2. Soon, Barkley was the starting back, and Scott was considering his options.
"I think [Penn State associate head coach Terry Smith] can attest to this," Scott said at the Big Ten media days in 2018. "I had already heard murmurs of me playing safety, and [former Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop] used to heckle me about moving to safety all the time, just joking around. And when Saquon jumped over the Buffalo safety, I literally turned to coach Smith [on the sideline] and was like, 'Do you guys still have room in the safety room?' I was half-joking, but at the same time I was like, 'I may need to have that conversation.'"
Turns out, it was the right conversation. Scott became a two-time Penn State captain and started 12 games at safety as a senior in 2018. As McVay said, the Rams took a chance on him late in the 2019 draft (seventh round, pick 243 overall).
Scott has proven both decisions (his and the Rams') to be wise.
"I take a lot of pride in just considering myself a football player," Scott said in January. "I’ve always believed in myself as a defensive player and a special teams player. I try to prepare for both, obviously, and I try to be the best at both, so I'm ready to answer the bell when that time comes.
"... Hopefully the coaches are seeing growth, and I like to think I'm seeing growth as well."
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