Head Coach’s Pet Keionte Scott
April 25th, 2026
It sounds like freshly drafted Tampa Bay rookie nickel cornerback Keionte Scott fits the “I am that man” mantra at One Buc Palace.
That slogan represents the attributes the Bucs want in a teammate and player. It’s modeled after Lavonte David. And Scott, the Bucs’ Round 4 pick, hits the mark if you listen to his most recent college head coach, Mario Cristobal of the University of Miami.
“Besides his skillset, and you saw him run a 4.3 [40-yard dash] at his pro day, the guy just consistently, consistently changes the mood of the building. I mean, he changed the locker room inside and out with his demeanor,” Cristobal said of Scott on ESPN TV today.
“He was a great example for the young guys. And look, this guy, no matter how banged up he was, he just went. To me, he’s one of my favorite players of all-time wherever I’ve been. He’s just a badass son of a gun.”
The Bucs sure added some fire into their defense, on the field and off. First-round pick edge rusher Rueben Bain is not shy. And Scott is a very vocal dude, along with free agent signings Alex Anzalone, A’Shawn Robinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
Joe suspects Todd Bowles and Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht were very attracted to the impact Scott made when he landed in Miami a year ago from Auburn and the junior college ranks.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:57 pm
He’s short though. We have no one who can cover tall WRs.
April 25th, 2026 at 4:57 pm
The D room has CHANGED! Thats for sure….long gone are the lazy ones i hope, and the ones still here, well, you’re getting an adjustment if you werent right…you’ll be right now…we got some dogs in here!
April 25th, 2026 at 4:59 pm
Solid A for this year’s draft.
April 25th, 2026 at 5:08 pm
Sorry boys but I have been traumatized by the year end skids of 2024 and 2025
I am numb and incapable of the annual giddiness following the NFL draft!
April 25th, 2026 at 5:08 pm
Looks like he might be a real fit at nickel. I just hope we have enough depth on the outside, as those guys are notorious for always getting hurt. I don’t think we’ve kept our outside CBs on the field much at all over recent years. I’d like to see him fill a kind of Ronde Barber role though. The run support DB, the blitz package DB, and the nickel zone read DB. I hear he struggles a bit with man2man, so gameplan to their strengths.
April 25th, 2026 at 5:20 pm
It sure will be interesting to see what happens with the overpaid Zyon. Jason has spent a lot of the owners dough on him. Perhaps the best thing would be for the new defensive players to have a behind closed doors meeting with him. But the real message would be to trade him if a partner could be found.
April 25th, 2026 at 5:25 pm
Let’s take it a little further. Get Scott & Bain to start recruiting Armondo Blount on the sly from now, so they can be the scouting departments’ favorites
April 25th, 2026 at 5:33 pm
^ nice one Warren
April 25th, 2026 at 5:36 pm
Scott is a hair under 6 feet and very athletic he can stay taller wrs, besides the top big guys are usually double teamed
April 25th, 2026 at 5:37 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai,
Our D line and edge rushers will help with that! Bain DROY, book it!
April 25th, 2026 at 5:38 pm
And if Kancey can play at least 14 games, look out!
April 25th, 2026 at 5:48 pm
How long are his arms?
April 25th, 2026 at 6:01 pm
The defense arrow is pointing up. We need a bunch of suhs lol. We deff got a few
Only time will tell. Excited again to watch some games
April 25th, 2026 at 6:02 pm
I actually like this pick.
I think zyons problem is effort and not skill. Hope he has a chip on his shoulder after not showing up last season. 2024 I saw potential
April 25th, 2026 at 6:03 pm
All of you people talking about is Hyatt go to take a look at his pro day. He had a 44 inch vertical which would’ve been first among all cornerbacks and defensive backs at the combine. This dude is so athletic and he reminds me of a taller, Brent Grimes with faster wheels.
April 25th, 2026 at 6:11 pm
He’s like Cooper Dejean.
A big, nasty nickle/linebacker.
He is a nickle nightmare. And a special teams gunner.
April 25th, 2026 at 6:25 pm
BucEmUp Says:
April 25th, 2026 at 6:02 pm
I think zyons problem is effort and not skill. Hope he has a chip on his shoulder after not showing up last season.
^^^^^
Zyon’s problem is one of bad attitude and a sense of entitlement.
The IR penalty in addition to at least some ridicule by teammates or others (agent?) had to be a cause for embarrassment. I suspect he would welcome a change of scenery.
April 25th, 2026 at 6:58 pm
Hopefully a miracle happens and he can be coached up with respect to coverage.
April 25th, 2026 at 7:17 pm
He’s one of the best cover corners in the NCAA idiot
April 25th, 2026 at 7:56 pm
No player in this draft was as impressive to me as Keonte Scott. The joys of his tape outshine the missed tackles by miles and in his interviews he puts on mini coaches’ clinics. He is as old as Mesidor and the two of them, with the help of Miami’s program have convinced me that advanced age adds value to some prospects. He and Mesidor are at the end of their developmental runways sure, but they have taken flight, their wheels are up and they come into camp ready to start dropping bombs.
I didn’t stump for him for a few reasons, chief of which if I’m going to be honest is I saw his potential in Bowles scheme and feared he would be the reason the Bucs didn’t get a three-down ILB in round two. That is where I was sure he would go and I was terrified Bowles would add him to his collection of day 2 mighty mites but the Bucs landing 3/4 of a great ILB in round 2 and his age pushing him to day 3 makes him my favorite pick in this glorious draft.
Pairing him and Bain again in the NFL is beyond imagination. Those two had a real Batman and Robin thing going. Miami had a five man front they ran a lot where Bain and this shorty the Bucs just drafted were the two lonely down linemen on the weak side. Guess what? No one ran anywhere but backwards on them. Time and again. It didn’t matter what level of competition. They’re a two-man Great Wall of China.
This pick resolves my skepticism over the Trotter pick. I had a list of slot players, one of which I needed the Bucs to land in round 4 after their round 2 head scratcher. Just like Bain, I didn’t tease myself with considerations of Scott because I could not imagine him making it past the teams picking in front of the Bucs. No way…
But here we are with one of the most dynamic defensive duos in recent NCAA memory. All the quiet Bucs talking about being louder/leaders in 2026 can just keep their yaps shut and let this wise old rookie do all the talking. There is a mad scientist with superb communication skills in that short, little body that runs a 4.3 40.
Licht pulled a pair of Hurricanes out of his a$$ and the defense is saved. After this draft I can’t wait for week 1. I had been legitimately dreading it. Bowles and his remaining crew are reinforced for redemption.
April 25th, 2026 at 8:21 pm
@Buccaneer Bonzai
It’s clear you don’t know anything about football.
April 25th, 2026 at 9:08 pm
Come on how are you gonna start with he is short when he is taller than our previous 2 Nickels?
April 25th, 2026 at 9:15 pm
Its clear to me they will sign a veteran CB after not taking one early.
Trevon Diggs would be fun on this team.
He takes chances our CBs don’t.
April 25th, 2026 at 11:39 pm
He is short just like the other two good, young slot CBs on the roster but that’s cool- We can call this crew Antoine and the Chipmurks.
Bowles will be yelling, “ANNN-TOOOIIINNNEEEEE!!!” on the sidelines just like Dave yells “Alvin.”
This is going to be great.
April 25th, 2026 at 11:43 pm
That’s Chipmunks not Chipmurks
April 26th, 2026 at 12:33 am
HopeIn1Hand….5-12.
April 26th, 2026 at 12:53 am
Buc1987- Close, but you have it backwards.
Mayfield along with Antoine and the Chipmunks scamper to a 12-5 record. I can see the future. Clearly you can’t.
Am I doing this right? It doesn’t come naturally. Trying to return digital poop fire. I’d appreciate any tips.
April 26th, 2026 at 7:07 am
Never go full retard HopeIn1Hand.
April 26th, 2026 at 3:18 pm
Don’t worry, Bowles stoicness and inept defensive mantra will rub him the wrong way and he will become either a locker room cancer or a Baker vocal hater when he starts throwing this late game interceptions. Then he’ll leave the team to go somewhere else. I love my Bucs but as long as Bowles is here I have no good expectations of the team doing anything good, only insane hope they will be better. He gave Brady his only losing season in 22 years and even when he had a great OC and our best offense ever in ’24 still couldn’t get it done.
April 26th, 2026 at 3:20 pm
Time for Zyon to find some inner David Goggus, or Keionte Scott!
April 26th, 2026 at 3:55 pm
He immediately takes the starting role in the nickle and sounds like he fits in more with our safety group based on his demeanor. Maybe he’ll bring out more in the cornerback room with his attitude and effort.
April 26th, 2026 at 6:58 pm
Man What a draft. Only thing is CJ Allen was available when we took Trotter so time will tell on that pick. Trotter is old school style but hey so am I