Packers Huddle

TCU safety Vernon Scott had been preparing for pro day. He wanted NFL executives and scouts to get a firsthand look at how he tested and his athleticism.

But pro days across the country have been canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic with the NFL prohibiting teams from traveling to different sites across the country.

That is devastating news to a number of aspiring pro prospects. But not Scott, who believes teams will have a favorable impression when they study his film closer.

“With pro days canceled, teams will go back and watch film,” Scott said. “They’re going to draft players off film. I feel as a player on film, I have pretty good film.”

Scott finished last season with 44 tackles, two tackles for loss, seven pass breakups and one interception. He returned his lone interception 98 yards for a pick-six touchdown in TCU’s 28-24 loss at Oklahoma.

More than anything, though, Scott feels he has shown versatility playing four years under coach Gary Patterson.

He played weak safety mostly at TCU, but also has experience playing cornerback and other safety spots. Additionally, Scott has played special teams on the coverage units.


“My film shows I’m very versatile,” Scott said. “I feel I can do a lot of things.”

At the end of the day, he feels his coverage skills stand out the most, describing them as “top-notch.”

“We played a lot of man coverage and I feel I’m one of the best cover safeties in college football,” Scott said. “Playing weak safety at TCU is one of the hardest and most challenging positions. You have to make a lot of calls and you have to be a good athlete. We go down in the box in certain coverages. It’s challenging, but also very rewarding because you can make a lot of plays.”

The pick-six at Oklahoma stands out. But Scott was the unsung hero on other plays, too, such as covering the outside receiver if TCU sent cornerback Jeff Gladney on a blitz.

Scott pointed to doing that a couple times in TCU’s 37-27 victory over Texas when he had to cover Longhorns receiver Collin Johnson.

“You have to be a good man player in Coach P’s defense,” Scott said. “And you learn a bunch of football with Coach P. The 4-2-5 defense is very complex and we have to communicate a lot. The safeties are the quarterbacks of the defense.”

Scott is currently 6-foot-2, 209 pounds and is getting interest from NFL teams. He had a top 30 visit with the Green Bay Packers scheduled before the pandemic canceled that trip.

For now, though, Scott is focused on getting back in football training mode after spending the last several weeks prepping for a pro day that was for naught.

“I haven’t played football since we lost to West Virginia on Nov. 29,” Scott said. “I’m just ready to get back on the grass and playing football again.

“I’d tell NFL teams I’m a player who’s going to do all the right things on the field and off the field. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win and am very coachable.”

2019 | SENIOR
Started all 10 games he played ... placed fourth on TCU with 44 tackles ... ranked third on the team with seven pass breakups, including a career-high three in the 51-14 win over Kansas ... took part in four takeaways over the final three games of the season ... had a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown at Oklahoma, 1-yard shy of a school record ... also had a fumble recovery and a season-best seven tackles against the Sooners ... forced a fumble the week before on Texas Tech's final series to preserve a 33-31 TCU victory ... added five tackles and a pass breakup in the game ... recorded his first career sack as part of five tackles to go with a forced fumble in the season finale against West Virginia.

Chilli wrote: ↑

25 Apr 2020 17:53

Weak safety = Free safety

is that correct?

Pckfn23 wrote: ↑

25 Apr 2020 17:17

BF004 wrote: ↑

26 Apr 2020 12:26

My favorite pick of the draft, lol.