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Three years before the Denver Broncos used a seventh-round pick to select Miles Scott in the 2026 NFL draft, the safety made a difficult position switch while playing for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
After totaling just four receptions for 29 yards through two college seasons as a wide receiver, Scott agreed to move to safety, a position where he had no experience.
“It was a tough transition simply because I had never played defensive back in high school or when I went to prep school," Scott said. "Then, in my first two years in college, I played receiver. When I had to switch, it was all… I don’t know. The mental side of the game came easy because I’ve always been a student of the game, but the physical part was tough because I never really had to backpedal and do all that stuff. It was different, but I just trusted God and I worked.”
Following the 2022 season, coach Bret Bielema asked Scott about potentially transitioning to defense after the school lost several key defensive backs, and they were deep at wide receiver.
"We had lost Devon Witherspoon, Sydney Brown and Jartavius Martin went to the NFL," Scott recalled. "We were returning Pat Bryant, Isaiah Williams and Casey Washington. He was like, ‘I want you to try defensive back. If you don’t like it, you can go back to receiver after the spring.’ I tried it and it was rough those first two weeks. I’m not going to sit here and say that it happened overnight because it definitely didn’t. But by the end of the spring, I was starting at safety and that was all she wrote after that.”
Scott went on to spend three seasons playing safety. He had arguably the best season of his college career last fall, totaling 64 tackles, four pass breakups, three interceptions and one sack in 13 games. Scott is now set to compete for a rotational safety role in Denver, and he likely wouldn't be here if not for his coach's request to change positions. Three years later, it certainly looks like Scott made the right decision.
Social: Follow us on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Miles Scott changing positions helped him reach NFL
Continue reading...
After totaling just four receptions for 29 yards through two college seasons as a wide receiver, Scott agreed to move to safety, a position where he had no experience.
“It was a tough transition simply because I had never played defensive back in high school or when I went to prep school," Scott said. "Then, in my first two years in college, I played receiver. When I had to switch, it was all… I don’t know. The mental side of the game came easy because I’ve always been a student of the game, but the physical part was tough because I never really had to backpedal and do all that stuff. It was different, but I just trusted God and I worked.”
Following the 2022 season, coach Bret Bielema asked Scott about potentially transitioning to defense after the school lost several key defensive backs, and they were deep at wide receiver.
"We had lost Devon Witherspoon, Sydney Brown and Jartavius Martin went to the NFL," Scott recalled. "We were returning Pat Bryant, Isaiah Williams and Casey Washington. He was like, ‘I want you to try defensive back. If you don’t like it, you can go back to receiver after the spring.’ I tried it and it was rough those first two weeks. I’m not going to sit here and say that it happened overnight because it definitely didn’t. But by the end of the spring, I was starting at safety and that was all she wrote after that.”
Scott went on to spend three seasons playing safety. He had arguably the best season of his college career last fall, totaling 64 tackles, four pass breakups, three interceptions and one sack in 13 games. Scott is now set to compete for a rotational safety role in Denver, and he likely wouldn't be here if not for his coach's request to change positions. Three years later, it certainly looks like Scott made the right decision.
Social: Follow us on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Miles Scott changing positions helped him reach NFL
Continue reading...
