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Lindsey Scott Jr. Scouting Report | University of Incarnate Word QB | 2023 NFL Draft

Lindsey Scott Jr.'s road to the 2023 NFL Draft is as long and complex as any player in the class, regardless of position.
Lindsey Scott Jr.’s road to the 2023 NFL Draft is as long and complex as any player in the class, regardless of position.

Player Bio

Lindsey Scott Jr.’s road to the 2023 NFL Draft is as long and complex as any player in the class, regardless of position. As the 2015 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year and 3-Star dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2016 out of Zachary, LA, Scott chose to attend nearby LSU to begin his collegiate career.

In his first season in Baton Rouge, Scott served as the Tigers’ scout team QB and gained valuable experience practicing against one of the lowest-scoring defenses in the nation. Rather than sitting behind future NFL quarterback Danny Etling for the second year in a row, Scott decided to transfer to East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) in Scooba, MS, where he would earn the opportunity to start under head coach Buddy Stephens.

Scott shined as a member of the Lions’ 2017 football squad, leading EMCC to an 11-1 record and a victory in the NJCAA national championship game over Arizona Western and current Los Angeles Rams quarterback Bryce Perkins. Scott Jr. finished his first and only season at the junior college level with a stat line of 259/398 (64.8 CMP %), 3,481 passing yards, 29 passing TDs, 11 INTs, and a 156.8 QBR; He also added 729 rushing yards and 6 TDs on the ground. After departing EMCC following the 2017 season, Scott Jr. returned to the SEC, this time as a member of the Missouri Tigers.

Similarly to his time at LSU, Scott would make an impact as Missouri’s scout team quarterback but spent the entire 2018 season sitting behind a future second-round NFL draft pick and current Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Drew Lock. After receiving All-SEC Honor Roll recognition at Mizzou, Scott Jr. would again enter the transfer portal in hopes of earning a starting job at the Division One level. Scott Jr. decided to transfer back to his home state of Louisiana to attend FCS Nicholls State. After sitting out for the entire 2019 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Scott would finally earn his opportunity to start for a Division One program at last.

In the Fall of 2020, the Southland Conference announced that they would shut down the 2020 football season in hopes of continuing its season in Spring 2021. In his first start since the NJCAA Championship in 2017, Scott Jr. and the Nicholls State Colonials defeated the Lincoln University of Missouri Blue Tigers by a score of 87-3, setting a new single-game scoring record in the process. Scott would go on to play for the Colonials for two full seasons, cementing his place as one of Nicholls State’s best quarterbacks in school history in only 18 games. In those 18 games, Scott accumulated 5,314 total yards passing yards and 49 total touchdowns with 18 interceptions and a combined QBR of 141.5. After being granted an additional year of eligibility due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Scott would transfer for the fourth and final time. On January 7, 2022, Scott Jr. announced his intentions to transfer to the University of Incarnate Word (UIW), which had recently lost its former head coach Eric Morris and starting quarterback Cameron Ward to the Washington State Cougars a few weeks prior.

In his final collegiate season, Scott Jr. led the UIW Cardinals to a 12-2 record, Southland Conference Championship, and an appearance in the FCS Playoff Semifinals against the North Dakota State Bison. Scott Jr. would go on to have one of the most polarizing and productive seasons in college football history, shattering the FCS passing touchdowns record with a whopping 68 total touchdowns to go along with 4,657 passing yards and only 8 INTs on 453 total attempts. Under the tutelage of first-year head coach GJ Kinne, Scott Jr. would cement his legacy as one of the greatest FCS quarterbacks in college football history by winning the 2022 Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in FCS football, roughly seven years after beginning his collegiate career at LSU.

Scouting Report

Despite having one of the most productive seasons of any FCS quarterback in college football history, Lindsey Scott is not garnering as much pre-draft buzz as one might expect from a quarterback with his impressive track record. Scott possesses exceptional speed and pocket mobility, along with a strong athletic profile for the quarterback position. His speed, foot quickness, and twitch make him a dangerous weapon in the pocket and open field, which creates a difficult assignment for defenders who have to respect his running ability at all times. Scott protects himself well when outside the pocket but also absorbs contact well and runs physically behind his compact frame and muscular build. Scott Jr. has solid delivery mechanics and an innate ability to deliver an accurate ball both on and off the platform. He has proficient accuracy, placement, and velocity to the short range but his accuracy begins to decrease when looking to push the ball to the intermediate and deep ranges of the field. Scott possesses above-average touch on his level-three ball toward the boundary, but his accuracy and placement are sporadic, as he often overshoots and under-throws his intended target. Scott’s boom-or-bust accuracy is connected to the overly-wide base he possesses in his platform, but his athleticism seems to mask his inconsistent footwork. Scott’s decision-making and ball protection are inconclusive because his interception numbers were consistently high before joining a quarterback-friendly system at Incarnate Word. He has sufficient anticipation and instincts as a passer but tends to lock on to his first read, which results in errant throws or negative plays when his timing is thrown off schedule. Still, his production, experience, leadership, command, and athletic ability add to the intrigue that surrounds him as a prospect and he’ll likely garner plenty of attention from NFL organizations towards the backend of the draft or as a priority UDFA.

Draft Projection

Round 7 Priority Free Agent

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