Justin Scott
Miami#41 overallDraft Movement
Up 66 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Justin Scott is a 2027 prospect defensive tackle at Miami who arrived in Coral Gables as one of the headline pieces of the Hurricanes' 2024 class, flipping his commitment from Ohio State in late November 2023 after originally pledging to the Buckeyes that July. The Chicago native and St. Ignatius product checked into Miami at a legitimate 6-4, 298 with the body type, two-way background, and multi-sport athletic foundation that pushed him to five-star status and a first-round projection. Through his redshirt freshman/sophomore campaign in 2025 he posted 26 tackles (15 solo), 1 sack and 1 forced fumble while working into the interior rotation behind the veteran pieces of Miami's front, grading as a top-15 interior defensive lineman in the class. Consensus boards project him as a Day 2, third-round-range pick, with historical trajectory comps that include Dre'Mont Jones, DeMarvin Leal, A'Shawn Robinson, Peter Woods and former Hurricane Leonard Taylor. He profiles as a versatile interior disruptor whose ceiling rides on technical refinement as a pass rusher and on growing into a featured snap-count after playing inside a deep Miami DL room. Scouts comp his upside to Phidarian Mathis: a big, leverage-aware base player who can hold up against the run while flashing the athletic redirect to win on stunts and games. A strong 2026 junior year on a clear path to a starting role is the swing variable between Round 1 and the Day 2 range.
The Tape
Strengths
- Legit 6-4, 298 frame that wears mass well with room for additional bulk
- Multi-sport athletic foundation (varsity basketball, AAU hoops, plus baseball/hockey/soccer growing up) shows up as plus body control for the position
- Two-way high school background, extensive snaps at DL, OG and even RB at St. Ignatius, built unusual leverage awareness and lower-body strength
- A point-of-attack assailant who plays through contact vs. the run and anchors with a wide base
- Encouraging redirect twitch relative to size, evident in pursuit angles and as a puller on the offensive side in HS
- Flashed edge-rush athleticism during All-American Bowl week against elite competition
- First-round projection with a consensus top-75 grade at age 20
Weaknesses
- College production is light, 26 tackles, 1 sack as a sophomore, and is still well below the bar set by top interior DL prospects
- Technical nuance as a pass rusher is unfinished
- needs to develop a more diverse hand-fighting plan and counters
- Occasional rigidity in his lower body that the redirecting twitch only partially overcomes
- Has not yet shown a true elite first-step or pass-rush win rate at the college level
- Buried at times in Miami's interior rotation, which has capped snap volume and limited the resume
- Day 2 mock projections suggest evaluators are still waiting on the breakout junior year
NFL Comparison
Phidarian Mathis (big leverage-aware base player with redirect twitch); Dre'Mont Jones (interior rusher who needed time to refine); DeMarvin Leal (versatile 5-tech/3-tech tweener); A'Shawn Robinson (power-first run defender body type)
College Stats
2024 (Fr.): rotational role, limited counting stats. 2025 (So.): 26 tackles (15 solo), 13 TFL split with team, 1.0 sack, 1 FF.
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $848K on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Miami's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
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Measurables
Awards & Honors
Consensus 5-star recruit in the 2024 class; Illinois All-State Player of the Year (2023); Consensus top-70 big board grade / projected Day 2 for 2027; First-round projection (Jan 2024); Grades among the top interior defensive linemen nationally.