Two days after selecting Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., the Bucs went ahead and doubled up on Hurricanes defenders by selecting his teammate, defensive back Keionte Scott, in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft with pick No. 116 overall.

Scott is a versatile 5-foot-11, 191-pound defensive back who can play both safety and inside at nickel cornerback. He started his college career at Snow College, where he was a two-time JUCO All-American, before transferring to Auburn. His first year with the Tigers saw him total 53 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, five passes defensed and an interception in 12 games (nine starts).

Over 10 games (all starts) at Auburn in 2023, he posted 44 tackles, two tackles for loss and five passes defensed. He took a bit more of a backseat in 2024, playing in 11 games (four starts) before transferring to Miami for his final year at the college level.

Bucs DB Keionte Scott – Photo by IMAGN Images – Jeff Romance

In his lone year with the Hurricanes, Scott really broke out. He was a Second Team All-ACC selection after playing 13 games (12 starts) and totaling 64 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, seven passes defensed and two interceptions (both pick-sixes).

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler characterized Keionte Scott as “a linebacker in a cornerback’s body.” He’s a fantastic attacking player who processes quickly and plays with decisive speed. His long speed is exceptional, too, as his 4.33 40-yard dash time makes him the fastest player on the Bucs roster. And while he isn’t the type of coverage corner Jamel Dean was for Tampa Bay, he does replace the speed void that Dean left when he departed for Pittsburgh this offseason. That speed serves him well as a blitzer, too.

Scott is a bit of an older prospect, as he’ll be 25 years old when the season begins. And he won’t offer a whole lot in terms of coverage ability. But with the versatility he brings to the secondary, the physicality and ball production he has to his game and the special teams help he can give to Danny Smith and his unit in Tampa Bay, there’s a ton to like about this selection for the Bucs after they addressed their biggest needs on the defensive side of the ball in the first two rounds of this draft.

Brugler had Scott as his No. 4 overall safety with a second- to third-round grade, which would make this an outstanding value pick for the Bucs in the fourth round at pick No. 116.

Scott is the 14th draft pick out of the University of Miami in Buccaneer history, following teammate Rueben Bain Jr., who was the 13th just a couple of days ago. Tampa Bay now has three former Hurricanes on the roster in Scott, Bain and edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad.

How Keionte Scott Brings Flexibility To The Bucs Secondary

Keionte Scott’s skill set would’ve projected him as a versatile chess piece in any defense at the NFL level, but that feels like even more of the case now that he will be playing within Todd Bowles’ system. Not only can he be another one of Bowles’ chess pieces, but the flexibility he adds to the secondary gives the head coach and defensive play-caller a lot of options with his personnel.

Bucs DB Keionte Scott – Photo by IMAGN Images – Jerome Miron

Jamel Dean left via free agency this offseason, which left a massive gap on one side of the field at outside cornerback. Zyon McCollum fills one of those roles for Tampa Bay, but the other is less certain with the departure of a veteran like Dean. Bowles has said this offseason that 2025 second-round pick Benjamin Morrison and 2025 third-round pick Jacob Parrish will compete for that starting spot on the outside.

Parrish was the Bucs’ starting nickel cornerback as a rookie in 2025, so the initial thought was that if he was going to spend more time on the outside going forward, he was potentially going to be handling both roles the way Sean Murphy-Bunting did for Bowles’ defense back in the day.

Of course, the other option would be to address the nickel role in a meaningful way, especially after the always-versatile Christian Izien left in free agency as well. JJ Roberts has potential to play in the slot, but the 2025 undrafted free agent is coming off of a season-ending injury and is far from a certainty.

Miami DB Keionte Scott – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Jerome Miron

So, that’s where Keionte Scott comes into play. He can fill that nickel role when/if needed, allowing Parrish to have a true battle on the outside with Morrison. This gives Tampa Bay three outside cornerbacks it can rely on, as well as two slot cornerbacks it feels good about.

Not to mention, Tykee Smith has the flexibility to rotate in from his safety spot to play in the slots if that’s something Bowles wants to explore in certain looks. And Scott obviously provides depth in the safety group as well, which was a need for the Bucs.

Any way you slice it, the addition of Keionte Scott is huge for the Buccaneer secondary, and there’s no doubt that Jason Licht, Todd Bowles and leadership in Tampa Bay was thrilled to land another versatile piece at a good value in the fourth round.