When discussing Tyler Scott as a prospect, everybody automatically mentions the obvious first. He’s fast. Really fast. It was evident on tape and the radar gun that the Cincinnati wide receiver can fly. It isn’t an accident he averaged 16.5 yards per catch for his college career. Many felt the Chicago Bears landing him in the 4th round was a major steal. While his numbers weren’t otherworldly, it was clear the kid had boatloads of untapped potential. His former college coach would know.
Mike Brown played wide receiver in college and spent four seasons in the NFL. He had a decent year in 2013 with Jacksonville, going for 443 yards and two touchdowns. While his pro career didn’t last long, he saw what top receivers looked like. The best tended to have a key trait that separated them from others, and it wasn’t speed. He believes Scott has that trait, as he explained to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune.
Tyler was definitely a role guy at best two years ago. And I’ll never forget, we were going down to the (American Athletic Conference) championship game and we get into the two-minute drill and we throw the ball out to him. He didn’t have a ton of targets that year. But we’re going down to win the game, we throw him a ball, he catches it, turns up the field, gets extra yards, picks up the first down and it’s like a light went on. He never blinked. Just like, “All right. Yeah. I expect to make those plays.” Not that it was a spectacular catch. But in those moments, sometimes young players shy away from it. At that time, he wasn’t even a starter. So to watch him go from that and see where he ended up last season? Incredible…
…With some of the catches he was making and the things he was doing after the catch, it was really special watching it. We got to the point where he was living for those big moments in games. And when the game was on the line, we all knew he wanted the ball.
Scott seems to thrive when the lights are brightest.
The play he’s referring to came in 2020. Cincinnati was tied with Tulsa 24-24 in the AAC championship game. Scott, a freshman, caught a pass on 2nd and 2, getting seven yards for a 1st down. That was his second catch of the entire season. For it to come at such a crucial moment was a testament to his focus under pressure.
Tyler Scott proved it again in the following two seasons.
In 2021, the Bearcats were back in the AAC championship. After Houston took an early 3-0 lead to open the game, Scott set the tone with a 25-yard touchdown to get his team on the board. Cincinnati cruised to a 35-20 victory. A week later, he was one of the few bright spots in their discouraging 27-6 loss to Alabama. Scott finished with 43 yards on four catches. That was far better than his more highly-touted teammate Alec Pierce who had two catches for 17 yards.
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While Cincinnati failed to reach a bowl game last year, Tyler Scott was still stepping up in big games. In the storied Victory Bell rivalry showdown against Miami of Ohio, he made eight catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. That 41-yard score was basically the dagger too. Chicago’s 4th round pick may not have had the production he wanted in college, but he shined brightest when the lights were on. If the Bears want to make noise in the playoffs, these are the types of players they’ll need.
