Horseshoe Huddle

Colts 2023 Draft Interviews: Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati

Meet Cincinnati WR Tyler Scott. We talked his ability to improve every season in college, his relationship with Alec Pierce, and how he impacts the game as a wide receiver.
Zach Hicks|
Colts 2023 Draft Interviews: Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati
Colts 2023 Draft Interviews: Tyler Scott, WR, Cincinnati

Tyler Scott is a former three star recruit that chose to attend Cincinnati over Indiana and Rutgers out of high school. Scott was one of those players that certainly had to work his way up in the college ranks, as he rarely saw the field during his freshman season in 2020.

He continually improved, however, and quickly caught the eyes of coaches. He starred as a special teamer in 2021 while also catching 30 passes for 520 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore. As a junior this past year, Scott took another positive step in his development. He caught 54 passes for 899 yards and nine touchdowns as the team's top target a year ago.

I asked Scott about his ability to improve his game each and every season in college:

It all started when I first came into the room at Cincinnati. I played running back from the time I was eight years old all the way to my senior year in high school. I never played wide receiver before I got to Cincinnati. I came into a completely new group and a new room too.
We had five recruits in the 2020 class that were receivers and we also had two transfers into the receiver room. We had seven new faces in that room. My goal during my first year was to stay humble and put my head down and work. I just wanted to learn the position, learn what a receiver is, and learn what to look at and what to find... Just learn how to actually be a receiver.
Then going into my second year, some room opened up with a transfer. That opened up some opportunities and I was just hungry and determined to get that starting spot during my sophomore year. I worked hard and by the end of Spring ball my WR coach (Mike Brown) said that I earned the right to start if we had a game that day. I went through Fall camp and continued to earn my spot, and I came into that season as a starter.
That year was all about realizing what I had around me. I was a starter, but we had Desmond Ridder. We had Alec Pierce. We had Jerome Ford. I had to realize that this may not be my time, but I still need to be a reliable target and do my job. I had games as a sophomore where I had one catch for one touchdown and that is all that was called for me because everybody else would take care of the rest.
So I started to make more strides on special teams. That was my role that year. I started at gunner and also came in and started as the guy coming off of the edge on the punt block team. I was also the off returner for the kick-off team. All of that while also starting (at receiver). My entire goal was doing what was asked of me so we could make that playoff run.
We lost a few guys to the draft before my junior year, so I knew it was going to be my time to step up. I had learned the position and continued to develop on the mental side of being a receiver. I was able to take that next step and be that number one option for Cincinnati last year. I was ready to have that kind of pressure and that type of role put upon me.

Scott finished his college career with 87 receptions for 1,439 yards (16.5 yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns at Cincinnati.

Playing Alongside Alec Pierce

Scott does have some connections to the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts' new special teams coordinator (Brian Mason) was Cincinnati's ST Coach in 2021, when Scott was a star gunner and punt rusher off of the edge. He also played alongside Colts' WR Alec Pierce for two seasons in college.

I asked Scott what it was like to play with a player like Pierce during his first two years in college:

We were both deep threats (so to speak), so our team was always one big play away with both of us out there. It was fun out there with him. I knew if the ball was in the air and AP (Alec Pierce) had a 50/50 ball, I knew he was coming down with it. I'd already be running down there to celebrate because I knew he'd make the play.
There was times last year where I'd be left wide open on touchdowns. I would see on film that he was already running down to celebrate with me before the ball even came down out of the air (laughs). It was so much fun to be able to share the field with him.

What Makes a Deep Threat

Getting into Scott's game, he is a pure deep threat receiver. He is the type of player that can make any defensive back pay if they have a momentary lapse in coverage. Scott is a burner, but there is also more that goes into being a downfield pass catcher than pure speed.

I asked Scott about the other factors that make up an elite downfield pass catcher:

There are guys that are fast and aren't deep threats, and there are guys that may not be that fast but are great deep threats. I think it is all about knowing what is in front of you. That comes with the IQ of the game and knowing how to manipulate defensive backs as a receiver. I always tell the guys younger than me that you have to be a great actor to be a receiver. You have to make defenders believe that you are doing something that you are really not going to do.
It is all about the mind game. You have to learn how to find those blind spots. You gotta get the DBs on their toes. All of this really starts with studying film. You have to know a guy's tendencies. Is he a flat-footed guy? Is he a confident guy? Is he a guy that likes to bail out? Does he know where his help is and where the safeties are? Is he a guy that is antsy?
These are things that you learn while watching film, and you understand how to attack guys and know what gets them uncomfortable. It is more than just running past somebody, it is all about understanding the entire landscape of the whole game. You have to know what is in front of you and how to beat that guy in front of you. It all starts in the film room. 

Attacking Press Coverage

The most fascinating mind game in all of football is the match-up between a receiver and a cornerback in press coverage. Receivers can dictate the pace of the battle, but cornerbacks also bring a lot of variety and experience to the match-up as well.

I asked Scott how he approaches and prepares for a press match-up with certain cornerbacks:

(Film study) is probably the most important aspect because every player has tendencies. I even look at the way (opposing cornerbacks) walk and how they carry themselves. When you watch film, you want to see if the guy you are facing is aggressive and wants to use his hands or if he wants to mirror and stay patient.
If the corner you are facing is patient, then you gotta be aggressive. If he is aggressive, then you have to be patient at times. It is a mind game out there and just knowing each players' tendencies helps you know different ways to get them out of position.

Alec Pierce has a go-to release move against press coverage where he uses a rocker step to open up opposing defensive backs. I asked Scott if he has a go-to move that he likes to use in the release game:

I want to say its like a hop off of the line. I actually got this from watching Davante Adams. It is like a hop-shuffle. It freezes the DB, but it does depend on who I'm going against. If I'm going against a guy that likes to be patient and let things come to him, then I can be more free in what I want to do at the line.
I like to use the hop-shuffle release to gain information and see exactly what he's doing. This gives me a gauge of what he wants me to do and it also freezes the DB for a split second and gets him on his heels. The hop-shuffle is definitely what I would call my go-to.

Wide receivers obviously have the advantage in press coverage because they actually know the play call and the route that they are running. However, this match-up is a chess match where corners like to dictate the pace with physicality.

I asked Scott how he likes to maintain being the pace-setter in press against opposing cornerbacks:

One thing that I like to do to set a tone is show them my speed early. During like a run play to the other side of the field, I'll run a go route just so that DB can feel my speed. It is all about that mind game and making them feel that this is what they are in for when they are playing against me.
This may ultimately cause a guy to scoot back a little bit or even cause them to go to their coach to get some help over the top. Everything is about the mind game and I like to see how they react after that. If he still wants to come up and be aggressive after that, that sets the tone for how the game is going to go as it progresses.

Impact in the NFL

I ended this interview the same way I end all of them. I asked Scott about what type of player and person an NFL team is getting if they spend a draft pick on him in this class:

First, on the field, you are getting a person that brings that speed. Someone who knows how to get open and isn't just a fast guy running sprints. Someone who can create vertical separation and take a safety out of the box to free up the run game. The Colts have a really good running back, so having a guy like me could really help that out. You are getting somebody that is explosive and has big play-making ability.
I saw a crazy stat that I averaged 43 yards a touchdown catch at Cincinnati. That is just the type of game that you are getting with me. I also have special teams ability. I can play gunner, I can rush the punter, and I can be a return man as well. I have all of those things under my belt that I can bring to a team.
Off of the field, you are getting somebody that is very humble. Somebody that is humble in how he goes about his business and not a huge rah rah guy in general. I like to let my game speak for itself. I'm not somebody that is ever going to get in trouble or even somebody that you will catch out at a club or anything.
I like to be home, watch football, and chill with my girlfriend. I've actually gotten into financial literacy lately. I'm just a real laid back guy off of the field, and a person that you can see doing everything right (on the field). I'm going to be a model citizen and a model athlete for what a football player is, and also for what a man is.

Tyler Scott may be a bit undersized for what the Colts typically go for in the NFL Draft, but I absolutely love his fit with the team. He is an explosive downfield threat that a coach like Shane Steichen could use in so many fun ways.

He has already met with Reggie Wayne and a few Colts' scouts this offseason, so maybe this could be the outlier to the traditional Build-A-Ballard wide receiver.

Learn more about Tyler Scott and so much more by pre-ordering the Indy Draft Guide!

The most comprehensive Colts draft coverage you can find anywhere releases April 10th, 2023.

Pre-order now with this special discount code!

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Published
Zach Hicks
ZACH HICKS

Zach Hicks is the Lead Analyst for HorseshoeHuddle.com. Zach has been on the NFL beat since 2017. His works have appeared on SBNation.com, the Locked On Podcast Network, BleacherReport.com, MSN.com, & Yardbarker.com. 

Share on XFollow ZachHicks2
Home/Draft