Matt Scott is prepping for the NFL Draft, which begins April 25. Photo by Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott has had promising offseason workouts but remains just a mid-round draft prospect, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper.

Kiper, who called Scott a fourth-round pick during an appearance last week on ESPN, hedged his projection a bit Wednesday in a media conference call.

“He’s probably in that four-to-five, four-to-six round area,” Kiper said.

“And he’s probably going to go to a team that doesn’t have as critical a need but wants to look at a young quarterback that maybe feels like, OK, let’s see if we can develop him, put him off the radar for a couple years and develop him old school way and see what happens there.”

Other draft analysts figure that Scott won’t slide past the third round.

According to various reports, Scott has or will soon meet for individual workouts with Philadelphia, Buffalo, Cleveland and Seattle.

Gil Brandt at NFL.com this week listed Scott among players who helped themselves the most with their pro day workouts. Brandy wrote:

“Scott didn’t play a lot until 2012, so people hadn’t seen much of him, but he had a good pro day. I think he surprised people with his arm strength. Here’s what happens: When you’re standing behind the drill, you get a better idea of what a guy’s velocity is on the ball than if you’re sitting up in the stands and watching him throw. You get a better idea of how he can move around. Scott also surprised everybody with his short-area quickness.”

Matt Scott’s stock is headed up. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Scott let his arm do the talking at Arizona’s Pro Day.

The former Arizona Wildcats quarterback didn’t need to re-do all the testing he did at the NFL Combine — it was impressive enough to just let it ride — but he attempted 85 throws in front of about 25 scouts at the team’s practice field Thursday.

The workout was closed to the media, but Scott’s quarterback coach, George Whitfield Jr., talked about it afterward.

“I have never seen, let alone heard of, a workout that consisted of 85 throws,” Whitfield said.

“Usually guys stay in the 60, 65 range. When you go past that threshold, you’re putting yourself out there for all the world to see. Now, you’re going to show your stamina, your strength, in that extra 20 throws. Can my mechanics hold up? Is my focus there? Is my accuracy going to be consistent enough?

“He showed that. So, one, he is competitive enough to go that distance, and two, he went out there and gutted it out after losing his No. 1 guy.”

Whitfield said the script called for 95 passes, but the top receiver at the workout, Dan Buckner, tweaked a hamstring and was unable to catch passes from Scott.

(more…)

Matt Scott caught the attention of scouts at the NFL Combine. Photo by Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Former Arizona quarterback Matt Scott, fresh off promising workouts at the NFL Combine last month, will get another chance to improve his stock at the Wildcats’ Pro Day on campus Thursday.

His throws and times and other measurables likely will speak for themselves, but he can also rely on a job recommendation from his old coach, Rich Rodriguez.

“I haven’t talked to a lot of them,” Rodriguez said of NFL scouts. “But everybody I’ve talked to has said he might not have as much buzz as some of those other guys, but they have him ranked really high.

“I know I’m biased, but I’m not sure there are 64 quarterbacks in that league better than Matt Scott,” Rodriguez added, totaling the two deep for all the NFL teams. “And I know there’s not 96. That’s my opinion.”

And Rodriguez had one more thing to say about Scott.

(more…)

Matt Scott has added about 15 pounds since his senior season. Photo by Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott earned positive reviews during workouts Sunday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Scott was credited with an official 40-yard dash time of 4.69 seconds, third among the 13 quarterbacks who participated. West Virginia’s Geno Smith ran in 4.59 seconds and Florida State’s EJ Manuel was at 4.65.

An even more telling drill might be the 20-yard shuttle, which better tests short-area explosion and lateral quickness.

From a three-point stance, players run 5 yards to the right, 10 to the left, pivot, and run 5 more yards to the finish. Scott completed the drill in 3.99 seconds, the best time for a quarterback at the combine since at least 2006 (results listed on NFL.com don’t go back further).

Scott also was first in the three-cone drill, a good measure of change of direction. His time of 6.69 seconds was the second-best for a quarterback in the past eight years, trailing only Tim Tebow at 6.66 seconds.

Beyond the testing, Scott did well during the throwing portion of the workout.

(more…)

Matt Scott will be ready to let it fly at the NFL combine this weekend. Photo by Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott is headed to Indianapolis today for a job interview years in the making.

What will be his pitch to teams at the NFL combine?

“My competitive nature, I think, is unmatched,” Scott said on KJR radio in Seattle on Tuesday.

“I’m a big competitor. I like to go out and lay it on the line every play, every down. I have great arm talent. I can do pretty well on the move, can be mobile at times. I think I’ll be a great fit for any offense.”

NFLDraftScout.com projects Scott as a fifth-round pick in a down year for elite quarterback prospects. Scott, a second-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2012, has intriguing physical skills with the potential for ample growth, considering he only started one full season in college.

Whether he can handle a more complex NFL playbook and make deeper reads under fire are questions he and other quarterbacks coming from a college spread system have to begin to answer.

(more…)

Matt Scott earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors last season. Photo by Matt Kartozian-USA Today Sports

Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott is one of 16 quarterbacks who have been invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.

The combine will held Feb. 20-26 in Indianapolis.

Scott is rated the 10th-best quarterback in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, which projects him as a fifth-round pick.

The NFL drafted 11 quarterbacks last season, including Arizona’s Nick Foles, who went in the third round as the seventh quarterback off the board.

Scott is the only Arizona player invited to the combine.

Arizona State will send three prospects — linebacker Brandon Magee, punter Josh Hubner and safety Keelan Johnson.

The NFL released the official list of invitees to the combine Thursday.

Related link: Matt Scott at Shrine Game: ‘Not bad, not great’

Juron Criner was the only all-conference player for Arizona from its 2008 recruiting class. Photo by Chris Morrison-USA Today Sports

The Arizona Wildcats football recruiting class of 2008 is in the books.

Arizona was coming off a 5-7 season in coach Mike Stoops fourth season and hadn’t had a winning record in nine seasons.

The Cats weren’t operating from a position of strength and finished 39th nationally in the recruiting rankings of Rivals.com and Scout.com, which put Arizona slightly below average among BCS conference teams.

So, how did Arizona do with its 2008 recruiting class?

Somewhere around average sounds about right.

The Cats hit on about half of the class, with “hit” defined as a starting player, but there wasn’t a lot of star power and not nearly enough defense.

Let’s take a look …

(more…)

The last time Matt Scott played, he was the offensive MVP of the New Mexico Bowl. Photo by Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Former Arizona Wildcats quarterback Matt Scott played to mixed reviews during practices this week for the East-West Shrine Game.

Scott was — and is — considered the top quarterback prospect in the game, but he apparently didn’t zoom up draft boards in advance of Saturday’s game in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“It wasn’t an overwhelmingly great week,” said NFLDraftScout.com’s Dane Brugler, who observed practice all week.

“It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. It was average. He has a quick delivery. He’s also tough, physical, but he showed some things he needs to work on — too often making throws flat-footed, some mechanical issues.

“His accuracy was very up and down. I think it goes back issues from his mechanics; his touch and ball placement was slightly off this week.

“I don’t think it’s going to hurt him too much. He was the best quarterback here this week.”

(more…)

Kyle Quinn leaves Monday morning for a week of practice and interviews at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. Photo by Matt Kartozian-USA Today Sports

About a week after the Arizona Wildcats’ win in the New Mexico Bowl, senior center Kyle Quinn got a call from a number he didn’t recognize. He answered anyway.

Hello?

“This is Coach Tomey.”

“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh,” Quinn said about hearing from Dick Tomey, the winningest coach in Arizona history.

“I got nervous. I actually got goosebumps. Just hearing from him with the amount of respect I have for him and the passion he has for this school and this city, it’s really amazing.”

There was a practical purpose for the call. Tomey, serving as a head coach and procurer of talent for the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game, was inviting Quinn to participate in the game, which took place Friday at Kino Stadium.

Quinn and two other ex-Wildcats — fullback/defensive end Taimi Tutogi and defensive lineman Dominique Austin — helped the West squad to a 40-7 victory.

“I was really proud of all those guys,” Tomey said after the game. “Taimi was terrific. Kyle is a great leader.”

(more…)

Matt Scott ran for 506 yards and six touchdowns as a senior. Photo by Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

A pair of former Arizona Wildcats — quarterback Matt Scott and receiver Dan Buckner – have accepted invitations to play in the East-West Shrine Game.

Both players were on rosters released on the game’s website Friday. The East-West Shrine Game will be held Jan. 19 in St. Petersburg, Fla., and will be televised by the NFL Network.

Scott is Arizona’s best draft prospect, a second-team All-Pac-12 quarterback who has an intriguing blend of passing ability, athleticism and upside.

NFLDraftScout.com recently upgraded his projection to the third- or fourth-round range.

(Here is more on Scott’s draft prospects as the new NFL prototype in a story I wrote last month after the Wildcats’ win in the New Mexico Bowl.)

(more…)