Ryan Poles is getting a second look at an exciting Miami defender that could be the perfect defensive weapon for Dennis Allen
The Chicago Bears are reportedly lining up a 30-visit with Miami Hurricanes defensive back Keionte Scott after general manager Ryan Poles previously attended the team’s Pro Day last month.
The visit Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles took to the Miami Pro Day last month could prove to be the team’s most important pre-draft decision ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Not only did Poles get a first-hand look at two top edge rushers in Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, he also got to watch defensive back Keionte Scott in action, who had an absolutely stellar showing.
Scott’s performance was so impressive that the Bears are now expected to bring him in for a closer look on a 30 visit. According to Jordan Schultz, Scott met with the Houston Texans on Monday and will meet next with the Washington Commanders and then have his visit with the Bears after that.
Keionte Scott can give Dennis Allen another heat seeking missile in his secondary
When Bears head coach Ben Johnson spoke about the signing of safety Coby Bryant last week at the NFL Annual Meeting, he referred to Bryant as a “trained killer” and something the Bears wanted to add more of on defense.
“It’s something that ‘DA’ brought up as we’re going over self-scout over the last month and a half was the best defenses usually have two or three trained killers,” Johnson explained. “You usually don’t have 11 of them, OK, but you’ve got two or three that are tone-setters that can really elevate the play of everyone around him.”
Scott can share that same description. On the field, Scott is truly a heat seeking missile. He has a quick trigger and elite speed, two traits that can be used to blitz the QB.
Yet, when listing Scott’s top traits as a prospect, NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein’s the first trait he mentioned wasn’t about on-field ability, his first pro for Scott was that he “brings culture-changing mentality and leadership.” The Bears have made it clear they’re looking for really good football players with high character, Scott fits that bill.
Last season, the Bears had 29 pressures and 5.0 combined sacks from the defensive backs under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, via Sports Info Solutions. Nine of those pressures and three of those sacks came from C.J. Gardner-Johnson, in a role the Bears have yet to find a replacement for after letting Gardner-Johnson walk in free agency.
The Bears already have one highly-paid nickel defender in Kyler Gordon but that shouldn’t stop Allen from pounding the table for a prospect like Scott. Allen’s already mentioned a desire to explore Gordon’s versatility more last season but wasn’t able to fully do that in 2025 due to injury and the need for Gordon at nickel.
With Scott, Allen can get really bonkers with how he deploys his secondary and how he uses Scott in coverage, run support, and attacking the quarterback. There’s only one problem.
After such a strong Pro Day showing, many see Scott as a Top-50 player, meaning he might not be on the board with the 57th overall pick. Would the Bears consider using the 25th overall pick on him? I would doubt that. Perhaps the team is just planning for all scenarios in the case Scott falls to 57.
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