See ball, get ball. In any position on the defensive front, you have to be able to do this. You have to be able to pursue the ball carrier with bad intentions and make contact with him in an explosion that looks like you are lighting a stick of dynamite, ensuring that his encroachment into your homeland has ended the moment that you reach him. For Lionel Scott, this is second nature.
Lionel Scott is an inside linebacker from Ferriday with every tool you need to be a monster in run defense. He can tackle, pursue the ball carrier with great speed, navigate incoming blockers, and instinctively recognize where the play is going. On top of that, he’s shown a lot of versatility, both being able to cover a receiver at a solid level and play on the line of scrimmage.
Athleticism
The first key to Lionel’s game is the fantastic athleticism he possesses. He’s fairly short (5’9”) and has lost some weight over the last year (down to 210), but he packs a lot of punch in the smaller frame. He is a sure tackler with the ability to bring some thump at times – it’s not always flashy, but he does not miss tackles when he gets to the ball carrier. He combines that sure tackling ability with lightning fast speed for the position, which allows him to pursue the ball carrier at an extremely high level. He’s the kind of guy that is fast enough to make plays stopping the run coming from the backside of the defense. He’s managed to lose the weight he’s lost (and thus get significantly faster in the game) without losing the physicality that was one of his initial calling cards on the field. He’s now able to get the best of both worlds, and that idea is terrifying to any offense that he faces.
Instinct
As athletic and destructive as Lionel is, his best trait is probably his ability to instinctively recognize the play and where the ball is going. Specifically, it’s how he combines his athletic gifts with his impressive instinct that makes him such a problem for offenses to deal with. He is a real field general as an inside linebacker – he is constantly running towards the ball, taking good angles, and he has the speed to use those instincts. They allow him to “see ball get ball” when he needs to, pursuing the ball carrier with relentless aggression. However, they also afford him a certain level of patience as the 2nd level defender when that patience is needed. He has the willingness and physicality to sift through offensive linemen coming to attempt to block him, and he has the right head on his shoulders needed to avoid getting lost in the blockers on his way to the ball carrier.
Versatility
Lionel Scott is a truly great run defender, but he is good at everything else you would want a linebacker to do. In just three weeks of this season, he’s shown his chops dabbling in the other parts of being a linebacker. He has solid pass coverage ability, using his play recognition instinct in forms other than just finding the ball carrier. His lateral agility is solid and his game speed is really good, meaning he is far from a liability in coverage. In fact, through just three games on the season, he already has an interception to show what he can do.
On the other hand, he also has some upside as an outside linebacker, lining up closer to the line of scrimmage. He’s played plenty of snaps there this season, and he’s even put his hand in the dirt a couple of times. He’s far from a full time guy at those positions, but those skills translate to help him play inside linebacker at a high level, and he’s showing this season that he can produce and wreak havoc no matter where you put him on the field.
Lionel Scott fits the prototype of everything you want in a college inside linebacker. He has a 3.7 GPA, and just from talking to him it is clear that he has a lot of passion for making everybody around him better. He’s a hardworking leader both on and off the field, which is exactly what you want from the “quarterback of the defense.” He’s shown the willingness to change his body type to better suit what he needs to do at his position, and the speed he has gained has made him a much deadlier weapon for whatever defensive coordinator finds himself lucky enough to have recruited him.
What got you into football in the first place? What makes you love it?
Originally, I grew up in Shreveport. When I come down to visit family, I’d get to see my big cousin go play, and it made me also want to play.
What’s your favorite football memory?
I was a little kid playing pop warner football. It was the semifinals, the game to go to the championship. The score was 6-0, we had the ball with 6 seconds left. Everybody thought we had lost. Then our quarterback threw it to our receiver and he caught an 80 yard ball, and he won the game and sent us to the championship.
What is your biggest strength on the football field?
My instinct and football IQ allows me to excel on the football field. My strength does too, and it all together makes me the player I am.
Why is that? How did you become so instinctive with your play?
I want to thank God for allowing me to do this, but I also want to thank my dad. He did a big part in getting me to look at football games and look at certain highlights of certain people, and realize what it takes to recognize the plays. What this guard is supposed to be doing, or this tackle, or where this running back is going. It really helped me get ready.
Which NFL player do you try to emulate the most with your own game?
It’s three players. I try to model my game after Demario Davis. I really like Sam Mills, and I really like Walter Johnson.
What has been your biggest improvement to your game over the last few years?
I’d say it’s my in game speed. Over the last couple years I’ve been working on it a lot. A couple years ago, I was like 240, now I’m like 210. I’ve been working on dialing it in, sprint training, and getting faster.
You’ve been primarily a mike linebacker, but there have been some plays where you’ve even put your hand on the dirt as a true defensive end. What has the thought process been like behind that?
I want to thank my coach. He is coaching me so I can do it all, and I’m not just a one dimensional player.
What has the recruiting process been like for you?
So far, I have received a couple of camp invites, but I haven’t really talked to coaches yet.
What are some goals for yourself and your team this year?
I want the team to gel more together and be 1-0 every week. My mindset is to just keep going, keep trying to push the younger guys, and try to better myself. I want to be the best I can because it’s my last year.
What do you do outside of practice to improve?
Outside of football practice, I usually either am in the weight room, or I roam the Bluff. There’s this thing called the Bluff in Mississippi that I go to. Sometimes I stay home, and my big cousin does some drills with me.
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