Age is just a number. Keionte Scott may be 24 years, and will be 25 by the time NFL training camp is fully underway. That being said, he was an immensely productive player for the Miami Hurricanes last season. While many NFL talent evaluators may hold his age against him, like they do when it comes to Akheem Mesidor, Scott may be closer to a first-round pick than some people might even to realize.
What Daniel Jeremiah of The NFL Network had to say about Scott speaks volumes about his upside.
"Miami CB Keionte Scott is an easy one to fall in love with after studying his game-- speed, instincts, toughness, and tackling. He's 24, but I don't see that as a big issue. He's ready made."
NFL Mock Draft Database has Scott at No. 56 on its big board as a projected second-round selection.
Miami CB Keionte Scott is an easy one to fall in love with after studying his game-- speed, instincts, toughness & tackling. He's 24 but I don't see that as a big issue. He's ready made.
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) February 16, 2026
One of the reasons Miami had such a great run through the College Football Playoff was it had an experience-laden roster. While they did fall to Indiana in the national championship, the Hoosiers also had a ton of upperclassmen on Curt Cignetti's roster as well. Even if some NFL teams may not want to draft a 24-year-old, the NFL not chock full of 24-year-olds playing out their rookie contracts anyway...
What if Scott join Mesidor, Rueben Bain Jr., and Francis Mauigoa as the fourth Miami first-round pick?
Daniel Jeremiah overlooks Keionte Scott's age in his draft evaluation
Look. There are few people as well-respected in the scouting world as Jeremiah is. He is synonymous with winning organizations and has a keen eye for talent that many of his contemporaries will miss. While comparing the NFL game to the college one can often be apples to oranges, sometimes a team is better off taking a sure thing, as opposed to projecting what a player could become in their system.
There is also this working for Scott in his favor to potentially move up NFL Draft boards and approach near-first-round territory. With Bain and Mauigoa as top-12 locks, both of whom are likely to go inside the top five, that brings more attention to Miami than in recent NFL Drafts. A team in need of an edge rusher or a book-end tackle may like what they see out of this experienced corner. It may help Scott.
Although he has a much longer way to go in terms of cracking the top-32, it will surely work out for Mesidor this spring to make it three Miami players going in the first round. Of course, this assumes that the medicals work out for the star edge rusher who is also in his early-to-mid 20s. In reality, NFL teams may be more willing to overlook age than ever before because of the world of NIL we all live in.
Scott is still probably a day-two pick, but there is a non-zero chance he could sneak into the top 32.