Against the Steelers in Week Six, rookie Keionte Scott had a standout performance. His play at Raymond James Stadium this past Sunday was reminiscent of his collegiate production for the Miami Hurricanes. Scott logged a season-high eight tackles (one for loss), one quarterback hit and his first career sack on Aaron Rodgers.
In the second quarter from first-and-10, Scott flew off the right edge untouched and dropped the future Hall of Famer for a loss of eight yards. Off the play-action fake, Rodgers never saw the rookie coming as Scott's elite trigger from standstill was on full display.
"I thought he initially did a great job of showing man to man," said Cornerbacks Coach Rashad Johnson. "He walked down and looked like he was going to play press man on the receiver and just did a great job of timing the blitz and coming off the edge. He happened to be a free runner because we had a linebacker blitzing from the opposite side as well, which caused the running back to have to make a decision to go with Alex [Anzalone] on the opposite side and Keionte did a great job of chasing from the backside. He showed that on film in college and since he has been here in the league, he has shown that natural feel that he has with his quick twitch and timing of the blitz to close that space the way that he did, so he did a really good job on that play in that moment."
That play helped build momentum for the Buccaneers and put the Steelers behind the chains on second-and-18. Two plays later, his former Miami teammate Rueben Bain Jr. dropped Rodgers, which led to a Steelers' punt on the three-and-out. Scott set the tone, whether limiting yards after catch or meeting backs in the backfield in Week Six.
As a one-year starter at Miami, Scott primarily played a hybrid nickel role for the Hurricanes in their 4-2-5 system. He split time between outside corner and the slot, and in 2025 he totaled a career-high 64 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks and two interceptions in 14 games.
Scott ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day and triggers downhill with violence and urgency. He possesses rare strength for his size to fight off blockers and wraps-up tackles with intensity. Scott's effort in backside pursuit to chase down ball carriers jumped off the college film, as did his run diagnosis skills. He holds his own at the point of attack and the tough competitor has taken ownership of the Bucs' chess-piece nickel role previously held by Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith and Jacob Parrish.
"At Miami, he played man to man and was able to do those things at a high level," noted Johnson. "He was a good tackler in space, but what I liked the most and what we are doing the most with him, is blitzing him to affect the game by going forward. He has the unique ability to play with the flow of things without having to read and react. We knew when we got him here that if we wanted to play Parrish outside, it gives us a guy inside that we know that can step in that has the physical stature to take on tight ends and take on offensive linemen and be able to affect the game in the run and pass when we blitz him. That position is a tweener. He is a corner, safety, linebacker all in one. As we have evolved now to 11 personnel and a passing league, you want to have a guy that can do all of those things and have that ability to play man to man. It is like an outside lockdown corner who can move inside and still have that physical ability to take on offensive linemen and tight ends and then tackle the running backs in the A and B-gaps when they are called to do so. That is kind of the specialty that you have to have and the whole mixture to make the cake."
Scott has been trusted with a heavy workload in Todd Bowles' system and the rookie has lived up to the task as the next star in the coveted fraternity of Bucs nickel corners.
