Cal's Daniel Scott Finishes NFL Combine With Strong Bench Press
Cal safety Daniel Scott wrapped up his impressive showing at the NFL Combine with a strong performance in the bench press on Saturday in Indianapolis.
On Friday, Scott surprised a lot of people with his athleticism. He had the second-fastest time among the 19 safeties participating in the 40-yard dash, clocking 4.45 seconds, and also was near the top of the class in the vertical jump, broad jump, 10-second split, and the 20-yard shuttle.
On Saturday, Scott showed he is also strong as he was able bench press the 225-pound bar 22 times. Those 22 repetitions ranked fourth-best among the 16 safeties who participated and was just one repetition fewer than the two players who tied for second at 23 repetitions.
More significantly perhaps is that it was four repetitions more than any cornerback at the Combine. So Scott’s 22 repetitions were the fourth-most among the 31 defensive backs who participated in the bench press event.
These excellent performances in every one of the seven events had to help Scott’s draft status. He is projected to to be a third-day draft pick (rounds four through seven), and NFL Draft Scout projects that Scott will go in the seventh round if he is drafted at all.
The three-day NFL Draft is April 27-29.
It’s unclear whether Scott will also participate in Cal’s Pro Day or let his Combine numbers speak for themselves. Cal’s Pro Day is March 23, and on that day Cal players interested in playing in the NFL will participate in events similar to the ones Scott performed at the Combine with pro scouts in attendance.
Scott was on the Cal roster for six seasons, and he made 28 starts. He earned third-team All-Pac-12 honors from Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus in 2022, and he was a first-team all-Pac-12 selection by Pro Football Focus in 2021. He had three interceptions in each of his two final season at Cal.
A number of reports following Friday’s events noted that Scott “turned heads” with his performance. He will turn a few more heads with his bench-press results.
Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl, tweeted this on Friday:
Recent Cal defensive backs have had success in the NFL. Ashtyn Davis (Jets), Jaylinn Hawkins (Falcons), Camryn Bynum (Vikings) and Elijah Hicks (Bears) were all on regular-season NFL squads this past season, and Hawkins and Bynum were starters.
.
Cover photo of Daniel Scott by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
.
Follow Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport
