The Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ 2026 season has been a major disappointment through three weeks. However, one positive worth pointing to is fourth-year rookie Keionte Scott. Scott has already made his draft-day value impossible to ignore, according to Justin Melo of Sports Illustrated. Melo notes that Scott has strong grades and coverage stats through three weeks.
“Keionte Scott has been the same versatile playmaker at nickel corner for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he was for the Miami Hurricanes,” wrote Melo. “The 116th overall selection has a PFF run defense grade of 83.5 and a coverage score of 73.3. Scott has already registered 11 tackles and a sack, and he’s allowing just 7.0 yards per reception in coverage.”
Despite being a fourth-round pick, Scott has 114 total snaps.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Found a Hit in Keionte Scott
Scott started in the slot at Miami, but he was an older prospect; he had just one year of legitimate production, and there were questions about the specific defense he would have to land in.
Fortunately for Scott, he fell to a team that had a good plan to use him. He has spent all of his snaps as a slot or box player, which has leaned into his strengths.
In the offseason, the plan was for Jacob Parrish to start in the slot with Zyon McCollum and former second-round pick Benjamin Morrison to start on the outside. However, Morrison was not healthy for most of the summer.
So, Parrish moved to the outside, and the team put the rookie into the starting lineup. So far, the decision has worked. Even when Morrison was healthy in Week 3, they sat him to keep the rookie in the lineup.
Buccaneers Draft Class Has Mixed Reviews
Most of the Bucs top draft picks have flashed early into the 2026 season. However, the draft class looks a bit questionable due to first-round rookie Rueben Bain. When Bain fell to Tampa Bay with the 15th overall pick, it was looking like the steal of the draft. However, he has not lived up to that billing yet.
Bain did not record a pressure in his NFL debut. He flashed a bit more in his second NFL season, but questions still lingered. Then, Bain was ruled out for Weeks 3 and 4. So, there are plenty of questions.
The three rookies they have taken after that have been successful, though. Josiah Trotter had a historic NFL debut. He was solid in Week 2, and while he was hurt in Week 3, he is still looking like a great pick.
Third-round wide receiver Ted Hurst has flashed at times as well. He has six catches for 103 yards in his first three weeks. Then, there is Scott, who is being viewed as one of the best values in the draft.
If Bain can hit, the draft class is going to look phenomenal. If not, there will be some questions. It will be interesting to see how the perception of the draft class changes in the next few weeks.
Bucs Rookie Deemed One of NFL Draft’s Best Values