The Miami Hurricanes' season is over, and its reward for exceeding expectations was heartbreak. As the national championship runner-ups, Miami is set for a major offseason. Quarterback Carson Beck and the best three players on defense will headline this roster's NFL hopefuls, opening up new holes and making next year's path to the College Football Playoff difficult.
Among the departures is cornerback Keionte Scott. After one season with the Hurricanes, he flourished in a unique role, one that should follow him to Sunday football and makes him one of the most interesting players in this class.
Keionte Scott's strengths keep him in the slot
Scott's profile is defined by the kind of athleticism that makes defensive coordinators salivate. I'd be floored if he ran anything slower than a 4.45, and there's a legitimate chance that he threatens to break a 4.30-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis.
That athleticism is amplified by exceptionally quick feet and elite burst, the latter of which shows up in multiple ways. Scott was heavily utilized in the slot, and he blitzed the quarterback more than almost any other defensive back in the sport. If you can get him unblocked on a typical dropback, you're almost guaranteed to get a sack.
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Scott is also exceptional in zone coverage, where he is inherently rangy and can click and close quickly. He processes the field well and can make a few more plays on the ball, especially when he reads the passer's eyes.
Likewise, Scott's speed wins him some reps his technique may have lost, and his foot speed translates well to backpedaling and changing direction on horizontally-breaking routes.
There are some size limitations at play, but Scott is a willing tackler who is happy to get his hands dirty against the run. His athleticism puts him in position to make splash plays, too, like the pick-six against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.
Scott might be limited at the next level
Ultimately, there's a reason Scott played single-digit snaps on the boundary in 2025.
At 5'10", 195 pounds, Scott plays with below-average size, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he fell short of that weight at the Scouting Combine. His aggressiveness doesn't translate particularly well in man coverage, limiting him against bigger receivers in man coverage.
| Man Coverage Grade | 77.7 |
| Zone Coverage Grade | 80.0 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Pass Breakup | 5 |
| Missed Tackle Rate | 20.3 |
| Passer Rating Against | 69.9 |
Scott plays with his hair on fire, but he can teeter on recklessness too often. That shows up most frequently as a tackler. He's willing to throw himself toward ball carriers (an entertaining proposition at his play speed), but he missed a ludicrous 20.3% of his tackles in 2025, per Pro Football Focus. That mark has never dropped below 14.5%, which raises questions about his consistency against the run -- especially if he is playing full-time in the slot.
Scott doesn't project as a man-heavy corner on the boundary or one that will win consistently with physicality at the line of scrimmage. I'm interested in how long his arms turn out to be, too, given a mediocre 14 passes defended across four collegiate seasons. There's plenty of variance in his ball skills, and exceeding expectations as a ball hawk would be critical in outplaying his projection.
Scott's NFL projection
This man was born to play in Brian Flores' defense. Late on Day 2, he might get that opportunity.
Scott projects as a third-round pick due to his speed, processing, and versatility. Being an established pass-rushing threat from the slot is enticing, but there is upside in his run defense, too, and his platform season showcased the best of his coverage skills.
In a zone-heavy scheme that allows him to wreak havoc in the backfield and intermediate zones, Scott can be an above-average starter. That will require refined tackling and more refinement in man coverage, but the ingredients are present for said development.
Scott should be among the Hurricanes drafted in the top 100, and it's hard to see a team letting his playmaking and dynamism fall past the middle of Day 3. His smarts and tenacity help mitigate size concerns, and a strong pre-draft circuit could push him further up the board. Scott is an opportunistic playmaker who is likely limited to the slot, a role that a creative defensive mind could unleash in 2026.
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