Nic Scourton Looked Lazy at Purdue

I sat through every snap Texas A&M transfer Nic Scourton played in 2023 when he was at Purdue.

I watched all 10 games as he flip-flopped back and forth from one side of the line of scrimmage to the other play after play ⎯and I couldn’t wait for it to end.

Granted, he tried harder during the last four games of the season against Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, and Indiana, but the rest of the games were concerning.

Flashes first-round ability

There were a few plays later in the season that were like, “Wow.”

This is the advantage of watching a prospect’s full body of work. I got to see the difference between Scourton in ‘sleep mode,’ versus Scourton in ‘beast mode.’

Scourton flashed higher levels of playing speed at times and outstanding athletic ability that allowed him to make the necessary adjustments in the pocket to get pressure on the quarterback.

It’s in him.

The question is where is that the rest of the time?

Tough evaluation

These are the hardest type of evaluations to grade and project when a prospect shows he can do it, but doesn’t do it the rest of the time.

Is it because the prospect is lazy?

Is it because of scheme and what he was asked to do at Purdue?

The old me would just write him off as a bust and move on, but the more I learn and evolve as an evaluator, the more pause it gives me to go off half-cocked.

I will wait to make a final determination based on his 2024 game film at Texas A&M. There, he’s in a new scheme and I will have more information to make the best final projection as possible. If he looks the same as he looked at Purdue, it will be an easy conclusion.

Scouting is all about identifying patterns and tendencies.

Bottom line

If I was sitting in a pre-draft meeting and I was asked to make a judgment call based on what I observed on Scourton’s 2023 game film, I would say he’s a lazy prospect with a lot of natural ability.

The game film doesn’t lie.

There were so many plays where he went half-speed or looked soft I didn’t have any more room in my notes to write.

There were only a small handful of plays that excited me in 10 games.

How does he project?

What should a team do when a player flashes first-round ability but doesn’t look good the rest of the time?

Mitigate the risk.

That’s why there are seven rounds in the 2025 NFL Draft. That’s why there are undrafted free agents that get signed after the draft.

There is more to this than having raw traits. The traits consistently have to translate to the game film. That’s why we see mistakes in the draft.

#5 (at Purdue) Nic Scourton 6-foot-4, 285 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Fall Grade: Third-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by 78.0% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of October 17, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film evaluated: Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, and Indiana (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Big and thick-framed muscular defender with inconsistent levels of playing speed and effort. Broad shoulders. Stout looking upper and lower. Limited space opportunist. More consistent as a run defender than a pass rusher. Average first step. Flashed short-area burst one time. Flashed swim move. Signature pass-rush move well-timed spin. Gives up too easily if initial pass-rush efforts don’t work. Lacks fight. Slight hip tightness. Above average (but not great) bull rush power. Stalls out on bull rushes. Pervasive tendency to be slow to react to misdirection play flow. Can be fooled. Hard tackler. Best when he’s unblocked or met with low resistance on run plays.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season

1. Consistent effort?

2. Pass rush moves?

3. Being fooled by play misdirection?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.