Jordan Fuller let it be known on Friday after Los Angeles Rams training camp: Nick Scott is one of the defenders to look out for in 2021.
Tuesday revealed the reason behind the prediction.
On a practice session that saw Matthew Stafford throwing through thumb pain steal the spotlight, Scott did something that no defensive backs accomplished against the Rams’ QB1: Intercept a pass on the Tuesday evening event.
As described by Rams team reporter Stu Jackson, Scott jumped on a pass over the middle intended for Robert Woods. That takeaway ended practice, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue who described it as a pick that occurred during the Rams’ two-minute drill period.
Ryan Dyrud of the L.A. Football Network podcast also saw the play unfold and described it in under 280-characters on Twitter.
Stafford/McVay Praise Comes to Scott
Again, the talk online and at Crawford Field on the UC Irvine campus was Stafford battling through a reported contusion on his right thumb; an injury he sustained near the conclusion of Monday’s practice and left many, including the Ram coaches and players, wondering if QB1 would miss practice time.
Stafford battled through the pain, then videos surfaced on Twitter showing the new Rams’ quarterback not missing a beat.
The play that wasn’t captured by a cell phone camera or Ipad was Scott making the play on the ball. Still, that play didn’t throw Stafford into a frustration tantrum. He instead told the L.A. media what a dynamic play that was.
“Nick Scott, what a play at the end,” Stafford told reporters. “That was as good a play I’ve been around in the safety spot. Happy that he’s on our team. Don’t want to turn it over, but that was a great play.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay mentioned Scott when asked what he liked about his safety unit, saying guys have definitely shown up and have displayed strong communication in the backend, including Scott.
“We’re doing a lot of different things, a lot of different personnel groupings and thought it was a real positive and we’re getting our hands on the ball and we’re catching it,” McVay said. “You see Nick Scott makes a big play at the end there, ‘Double D’ (Donte Deayon) makes a good breakup, guys consistently showing up. Darious Williams had a good breakup and in of the kind of the pass-game settings and I was really pleased with that group today.”
What the Safety Room Looks Like
Currently, signs are pointing to Fuller and Taylor Rapp getting the nod at both starting safety spots down the road. Terrell Burgess is another making a case for a starting spot by putting together an impressive first set of practices.
However, the former Penn State Nittany Lion Scott has made strong plays on the ball during the first five days of training camp.
Along with Tuesday’s interception of Stafford, Scott also made a beeline for the ball during day two of camp and nearly came away with the interception during a 7-on-7 period, as noted by Jackson in his July 29 observations.
At this rate, it’s looking like Scott could go from veteran special team stalwart to perhaps the fourth safety in the 53-man roster. Time will tell with camp continuing this week, but Scott is clearly showing he can be more than a tackler on kickoff and punt returns.
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