Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Keionte Scott in fourth round of 2026 NFL Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected Miami defensive back Keionte Scott with the No. 116 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Scott was taken with a fourth round selection.

Scott initially began his career at Auburn, where he had an immediate impact. He would spend his first three years with the Tigers before transferring to Miami, where he would make a deep playoff run with the Hurricanes.

Keionte Scott started nine games as a freshman at Auburn, playing in all 12. He recorded 53 tackles, 4.0 tackles for a loss, a sack, an interception, four pass breakups and five passes defended, announcing himself to the college football world.

His production tailed off a bit as a sophomore, then quite a lot as a junior. Scott started only four games in 2024 and ultimately opted to transfer to Miami after the season.

While with the Hurricanes, he became an instant impact contributor in the secondary. He showed some real versatility and was used in multiple ways for one of the nation’s best defenses.

Prior to enrolling at Auburn, Keionte Scott was ranked as a four-star prospect out of junior college. He checked in as the No. 2 national player out of JUCO in his class, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Keionte Scott

One of the things scouts love about Scott is his sheer ability. He has great sudden change of direction skills and is a twitchy player built to potentially play multiple rules.

He’s not always on point in recognizing patterns right away, though he got better in that regard in 2025. Still, there’s a ton to like.

So what are the experts saying? Well, the NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein provided an evaluation of Keionte Scott ahead of the draft:

“Scott’s play style and tackle production resemble that of a Will linebacker. He’s edgy and urgent near the line with an ability to slip or play off of blocks. He can snuff out run plays before they get started. Scott lacks ball production due to inconsistent break anticipation and route squeeze, but he can twitch-and-trigger to close windows, wrap and finish.

“He keeps yards after contact to a minimum. Scott’s blitz talent off the edge makes him a value-added rusher. He’s an older prospect and needs to play in a scheme that allows him to keep his eyes forward, but Scott’s football character should make him a team favorite as a starting nickelback.”