Every young athlete always has an inspiration when it comes to influencing how he wants to play the game. So many people got into basketball because of Michael Jordan. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa made everybody want to hit bombs in baseball. Beyond that, there are the players that serve as templates for how to play the game in certain ways. Tyler Scott knew he would have to find his once he began his pursuit of the NFL when he arrived at Cincinnati a few years ago in college. It took some time, but he eventually found his guy.
Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago asked him about it on the Under Center podcast. While Scott has multiple influences, including new teammate D.J. Moore, the first name he mentioned was a slight surprise.
Brandon Aiyuke is probably one of the most unsung receivers in the NFL. Not only did he crack 1,000 yards this past season, but he did so catching passes from multiple quarterbacks and having Deebo Samuel as a teammate. His improvement has been steadily building for the past three years.
Tyler Scott is wise to use him as an example.
Aiyuk has a great combination of speed, fluidity, and quickness. Together with his knowledge of complex route running makes him a dangerous weapon inside or on the perimeter. Scott doesn’t have the same thick build, but he does have speed, fluidity, and quickness. So it makes sense he’d gravitate to the former 1st round pick. What makes it even smarter is Aiyuk plays in the same offensive system the Bears deploy under Luke Getsy. That means Scott will have a better understanding of how routes must be run in this scheme specifically.
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It might take time to get legitimate opportunities to play. There are multiple receivers in the pecking order ahead of him, with Moore, Darnell Mooney, and Chase Claypool. Velus Jones also has a year’s head start on him. Even so, that isn’t discouraging Tyler Scott from his goal. He feels he can become an effective receiver at this level. He played against a lot of defensive backs that are already excelling in the league. If he masters the same techniques as Aiyuke did, he can be a good player.
