NFL Draft: Where Will Former Arizona Wildcat Matt Scott Go?
By nmueller
Former Arizona Wildcat Matt Scott’s dream of playing for an NFL team will begin tomorrow when the first round of the NFL Draft takes place. Scott is not expected to go in the first round, but he is rising on a lot of draft boards. All questions about Matt Scott have been answered by NFL teams, so now the question is, what teams are interested, and where will he end up playing.
Matt Scott is shooting up the draft boards because teams do not want to miss out on the next Russell Wilson or Colin Kaepernick. The read-option is either the next big thing for the future of football or is just a phase, depending on who you ask. Make no mistake, teams are worried that they may miss out on the next big thing, so someone will jump on the agile Scott earlier rather than later in the 2013 draft.
Teams Interested in Scott: It is all speculation right now, and I won’t even pretend like I know what is going on in the war rooms for most NFL teams. What I do know is where he will fit in, and teams that may be interested in trying to find the next Kaepernick or Wilson.
1. Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles are probably the best overall fit for Scott in the draft. They will be running Chip Kelly’s read option with Michael Vick under center this year. Scott fits perfect, because Vick is an injury risk from game to game, so the Eagles really need a back-up to let the scheme stay in tact, in the event of an injury. Scott will have the added time learning the offense while Vick starts the season, and then could take over as the starter moving forward. The only problem with this scenario is that the Eagles have a very competent back-up who also played for the Arizona Wildcats in Nick Foles. I actually was looking forward to what Foles could do under Chip Kelly, but it looks like Kelly will be running the read-option and be looking for a back-up. This leaves Foles as a big trading piece for the Eagles, if the scenario plays out.
2. Seattle Seahawks and San Franciso 49ers – The Seahawks and Niners fit into the same type of situation as the Eagles do above, but with QB’s who haven’t shown an injury history. They have the next big things and may be looking to solidify a back-up who will run the same offense in the event of inury.
3. San Diego Chargers – The Chargers will take a long look at Scott becuase new head coach Mike McCoy has used the read option before. He was successful at running the read option with Tim Tebow in Denver 2 seasons ago. Philip Rivers is and will be the QB in San Diego for a while, but if you have an opportunity to draft a player who could run this offense, they may take the risk, if the price is right.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns – These two teams are just plain looking for a QB that will win games. They may look in Scott’s direction because of the upside, but may also be looking more in the direction of someone who will start right away.
I will predict that the Eagles are the team that will take the leap at Scott, and it may come in the first part of rd 3. Scott may be the man on the board in Philly, but may not be. Kelly is a risk taker and has not shown his cards, but my guess is he hasn’t actively shopped Foles but knows he has value right now. People may forget Foles’ value if he is stuck on the bench, and if you signed Vick you are committing to running the read-option. Look for the Eagles to be very active on draft day and to pick up a future commodity in Matt Scott.