Oregon's Jordon Scott Can Help the Chiefs at the Backup Nose Tackle Position
Jordon Scott - IDL, Oregon
By the numbers:
6'0", 311 pounds. 31-3/8" arms per pro day measurements.
2020: 15 tackles (2.0 for loss) in six games played.
Positives:
Jordon Scott is a mature interior defensive lineman who understands his assignments and limitations. His motor consistently runs hot and he never gives up on plays. He's lost a significant amount of weight in recent years to make him a more agile player, which is a testament to his overall work ethic. Scott isn't the most gifted athlete and does his best to work around that.
Scott's primary responsibilities come in run support. He has a low center of gravity and maintains solid leverage throughout the rep. His frame is shorter than average, but it allows him to keep his pad level low. Scott operates with decent functional strength and fits the description of a modern, run-stuffing nose tackle in even defensive fronts.
Negatives:
When it comes to length, power and athleticism, Scott has his work cut out for him. Short arms make disengaging more difficult for him and his lateral movement ability is subpar. While he was able to shed weight and become a bit quicker on the interior, he appears to have lost some strength in the process. In 2020, Scott didn't handle double-teams as well as he did earlier in his career. He will need to find an appropriate balance between being nimble, yet powerful.
Scott doesn't offer much immediate impact or potential as a pass-rusher, further evidenced by his three total sacks in four collegiate seasons. He fails to get penetration against the pass and isn't a pocket pusher. Scott is a gap-eating specialist who will only be valuable on first and possibly second downs at the next level. Even if he reaches his ceiling, he will probably come off the field for more dynamic threats on third down.
How Scott fits with the Chiefs:
The Chiefs' defensive line group is deep this year, specifically on the interior. Chris Jones, Jarran Reed, Derrick Nnadi, Tershawn Wharton and Khalen Saunders currently make up that group. Nnadi's contract expires after the 2021 campaign, so insulating the team with depth behind him isn't a bad idea. Scott would be a solid fit with the Chiefs as a 4-3 one-technique nose tackle. Wharton and Saunders are pass-rush specialists, so adding one more player similar to Nnadi makes sense.
Final Thoughts:
Scott is an intelligent player with the ability to play sound run defense if he can refine his game. He works hard and is clearly willing to reshape his body in an effort to suit what his team needs. On the downside, his overall ceiling is limited and he won't ever be much of a threat on passing downs. He's a clear Day 3 pick for teams in search of depth at the nose tackle position. Scott grades out as a sixth-round pick who should hear his name called near the end of the draft.
Read More: Arrowhead Report's 100 Players in 100 Days: A Kansas City Chiefs Draft Guide.
