Did Miami's Keionte Scott just run his way into the first round of the NFL draft?

Keionte Scott showed up at Miami's Pro Day and ran an official 4.33-second 40-yard dash, which would have been the second-fastest time among cornerbacks and the third-fastest among safeties at this year's NFL scouting combine.

That does not automatically make him a first-round pick. But it absolutely makes the question worth asking.

Miami safety Keionte Scott might get drafted in the first round

Scott was already a productive college player. In his lone season at Miami, he earned second-team All-ACC honors after posting 64 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, two interceptions returned for touchdowns and two forced fumbles.

Daniel Jeremiah ranks him No. 47 overall and Matt Miller also has Scott at No. 47 on his board. Mel Kiper Jr. currently ranks Scott ninth at his position. But now, after the pro day performance, his stock could rise even further.

How NFL teams have drafted safeties recently

NFL teams have become much more careful about spending first-round capital on players who project primarily as safeties or nickel types.

The 2022 draft was the outlier as Kyle Hamilton went No. 14 to Baltimore, Daxton Hill went No. 31 to Cincinnati and Lewis Cine went No. 32 to Minnesota.

But the position cooled off after that. In the 2023 draft, no safeties were taken in the first round. In 2024, the first true safety off the board was Tyler Nubin at No. 47 overall in Round 2. Then in 2025, Malaki Starks finally got the position back into Round 1 when Baltimore selected him No. 27 overall.

The returns on those picks help explain the reason for hesitation. Hamilton became the dream outcome. Baltimore signed him to a record-setting four-year, $100.4 million extension in August that made him the league's highest-paid safety. Hill has been useful enough that Cincinnati exercised his fifth-year option, but the Bengals transitioned him from safety to cornerback. The Vikings released Cine before the 2024 season, and the Bills signed him to their practice squad two days later. That is a wide range of outcomes for a position teams already tend to view as less valuable than pass rushers, corners and offensive tackles.

So, did Scott just run his way into the first round? Maybe not all the way — or not yet at least. The recent history of first-round safeties and nickel defenders still works against him, and he's probably a Day 2 guy right now. But he did start the conversation.