INDIANAPOLIS -- Tyler Scott hasn't even entered the NFL yet, but he already feels a level of comfort with the New England Patriots.
Why? Because he's known one of their position coaches for years.
The Cincinnati wide receiver prospect was introduced to Patriots assistant wideouts coach Ross Douglas during his high school recruiting process. Douglas was a graduate assistant at Rutgers at the time and was trying to woo Scott to join the Scarlet Knights.
That recruitment was unsuccessful, but Scott remained on Douglas' radar. As the receiver was preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine, he got a text from the New England assistant.
"(The Patriots) actually texted me," Scott said Friday. "Ross Douglas, I guess he's going to be the receivers coach now, he actually recruited me at Rutgers. So he hit me back up and was like, 'Hey man, I'm about to be at your pro day.' So I guess the receivers coach is going to be at pro day, and if he's going to be there, then I'm pretty sure the coordinators and other guys are going to be there. So I guess they're still interested."
Wide receiver is a potential draft need for the Patriots, and Scott would be an intriguing target. He's undersized but boasts excellent speed and agility, once running the 40-yard dash in 4.29 seconds. That skill set made him a big-play machine for the Bearcats, with 10 of his 14 collegiate touchdowns coming on plays of 30-plus yards.
The Athletic's Bruce Feldman included Scott on the 2022 edition of his annual "College Football Freaks" list.
"At 5-9 1/2, 185 pounds, he clocked a 4.29 40 to go with a 40 1/2-inch vertical jump and did 11 feet on the broad jump," Feldman wrote last August. "In addition, Scott squatted 600 pounds and did 16 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press and maxed out at 345."
The Athletic's Dane Brugler compared Scott to longtime Seattle Seahawks standout Tyler Lockett, projecting him as a second- or third-round pick ahead of his official combine workout. (Receivers will run and jump on Saturday.)
Scott said he "for sure" would be excited to join the Patriots, again noting his connection to Douglas.
"Especially having a familiar face in the building at that position, that's huge," he said. "It's the comfortability there, and just the fit -- having the right fit. Just being able to have something like that, being able to talk and communicate. Ross Douglas, he's from northeast Ohio (too), so that would be huge."
Scott's comments also hinted at a possible coaching change for New England. Him saying Douglas "is going to be the receivers coach now" was notable, as he was second in command of that position group this season behind Troy Brown.
Brown, who reportedly was part of the small contingent of Patriots coaches who attended the combine, has been the team's wide receivers/kick returners coach for the past two seasons after working with the running backs and returners in 2020.
Douglas has just two years of NFL coaching experience -- he was a defensive quality control coach in 2021 before shifting to wideouts -- but already has generated buzz as a potential future coordinator or head coach.
