Nick Scott (American football)

Nicholas Michael Scott (born May 17, 1995) is an American football safety for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

College career
Scott started his redshirt freshman year at Penn State as a multi-purpose running back, rushing for 133 yards, catching 4 passes for 43 yards, and returning 13 kickoffs for 310. The following season, he was converted to cornerback. He spent most of the season as a backup, but also returned 6 kickoffs for 138 yards. In his final two seasons, he settled into his permanent position as a safety. As a senior, he recorded 65 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, and tied for the team lead with 3 interceptions.

2019
Scott was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round (243rd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He made his first career offensive reception on a 23-yard fake punt pass from Rams punter Johnny Hekker in a 37–10 win over the Atlanta Falcons during the 2019 season.

2020
Scott was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Rams on December 18, 2020. He was re-activated on December 22.

2021
Scott made his first career interception during the Rams' win at Seattle on October 7, 2021. He became the Rams' starting strong safety for their playoff run after a season-ending injury to Jordan Fuller in the Rams' Week 18 game against the San Francisco 49ers. Scott made his first career postseason interception during the Rams' 30–27 victory in the Divisional Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Scott helped the Rams reach Super Bowl LVI where they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23–20 with Scott recording 2 tackles in the game.

2022
Scott was named the starting free safety for the 2022 season. On January 7, 2023, Scott was placed on injured reserve. He finished the season with a career-high 86 tackles, two interceptions, five passes defensed, and two forced fumbles through 16 starts.

Cincinnati Bengals
On March 20, 2023, Scott signed a three-year contract with the Bengals. He was named the starting strong safety to begin the season. In Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, Scott make an aggressive tackle on Bills' tight end Dalton Kincaid that led to Kincaid dropping the football. Scott scooped the ball up for his first career fumble recovery early in the 4th quarter. The Bengals went on to win the game with a score of 24–18.

Scott was benched in favor of rookie Jordan Battle early in the Bengals' Week 11 contest against the Baltimore Ravens after missing nine tackles. Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo named Battle the starter for the remainder of the season ahead of their matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers the following week, relegating Scott to a substitution role in the defense.

On March 13, 2024, Scott was released by the Bengals.

Carolina Panthers
On March 22, 2024, Scott signed with the Carolina Panthers.