Good morning Broncos Country!
We’re going to wrap up the final three draft pick reviews today and tomorrow. With three seventh round picks, I decided why not run through them like the NFL does through the seventh round. Lightning speed!
The first pick the Denver Broncos made in that round was Illinois safety Miles Scott with the 246th overall selection. Here is what we had covered on Scott’s selection on draft weekend
Potent quotables – Miles Scott focus
Paton and Payton quotes on Scott
On the other two seventh-round picks, S Miles Scot and LB Red Murdock
Sean Payton:
“[S] Miles [Scott] we were real familiar with, talking with ‘Palcho’ (T Alex Palczewski) and [WR] Pat [Bryant]. These guys were teammates. Illinois had a handful of players drafted. It would be very normal, especially when a player’s younger on our roster, [and] has been on the same team. His name came up and up. He went in with Pat as a receiver and then was converted. So with both our players, his name came up a number of times. Throughout the process, I think we became very familiar with him. So there’s versatility, special-teams flex.”
George Paton: “With Miles, I think the ball skills. I think he had seven interceptions throughout his career. [He is] very physical for a former receiver, and instincts for a guy who hasn’t played it all that long. We thought he had really good anticipation and instincts, and thus he had the interceptions. I think he fits in with our group and what we look for in safeties.”
Miles Scott quotes
On his pre-draft contact with the Broncos
“I went on a [Top] 30 visit to Denver. This was about a week or two ago. That was pretty much it. It was just the 30 visit. It wasn’t a lot more talking after that.”
On being reunited with his former Illinois teammate WR Pat Bryant
“It’ll be great. [WR] Pat [Bryant] was a great teammate. Me and Pat came in together at Illinois. We were both playing receiver. 2021 we both came in. Then I got to see him get drafted to Denver, and now he got to see me get drafted to Denver. So that’s kind of crazy. I was just with Pat while I was on the [Top] 30 visit. So it’s crazy.”
On the transition to defense that he made in college
“It was a tough transition simply because I had never played defensive back in high school or when I went to prep school. Then in my first two years in college, I played receiver. When I had to switch, it was all… I don’t know. The mental side of the game came easy because I’ve always been a student of the game, but the physical part was tough because I never really had to back pedal and do all that stuff. It was different, but I just trusted God and I worked.”
On his impressions of the Broncos during his Top 30 visit to Denver
“I loved it. I really enjoyed the visit and I really enjoyed the city as well. I feel like everyone is well put together. I didn’t really have any complaints at all. I’m grateful to have this opportunity.”
On what it means to him to be a draft pick in this class
“I’m just at a loss of words honestly. All I can do is thank God for everything that I have been able to go through and everything that I’ve ever went through. It’s been a lesson, and I’ve used it to my advantage. I wasn’t really getting discouraged because I’ve been a walk-on and I’ve had to change positions. I’ve always been like the underdog trying to climb to the top. There never really was a bottom for me, I’m just grateful to be here.”
On his interception return for a touchdown in his first game playing on defense
“We were sending a blitz, but I literally had no clue where the blitz was coming from. (Laughs) Once I had seen whoever was going, I looked over there and saw the receiver running free down the middle of the field. I looked back, the ball was right there, I jumped and caught it and took it all the way back to the house. That is just a testament of me playing receiver and being able to catch the ball and run. That’s all receivers do, and I don’t even miss playing receiver because I love defense. I’m just grateful to have that.”
On the reasoning behind switching to defense and how long it took him to feel comfortable
“Well Coach ‘B’ (Illinois Head Coach Bret Bielema) asked me after the 2022 season… We had lost [Seahawks CB] Devon Witherspoon, [Falcons S] Sydney Brown and [Commanders S] Jartavius Martin went to the NFL. We were returning [Broncos WR] Pat Bryant, [Jets WR] Isaiah Williams and [Falcons WR] Casey Washington. He was like, ‘I want you to try defensive back. If you don’t like it, you can go back to receiver after the spring.’ I tried it and it was rough those first two weeks. I’m not going to sit here and say that it happened overnight because it definitely didn’t. But by the end of the spring, I was starting at safety and that was all she wrote after that.”
On if any of his former Illinois teammates on the Broncos have reached out to him since getting drafted
“Me and [WR] Pat [Bryant] came in together, so me and Pat were there for four years together and I was there with ‘Palcho’ (T Alex Palczewski) as well my first two years in 2021 and 2022. I was playing on the offensive side of the ball. Tough, smart, dependable, that’s the Illinois way. We were recruited that way to come to Illinois and I feel like it is similar here in Denver.”
Everything Miles Scott
We here at Mile High Report covered each Denver Broncos draft pick in a variety of ways, but the news feed got deep fast and much of that coverage was buried in short order. Here is everything we did on safety Miles Scott over draft weekend ICYMI:
Denver Broncos select Illinois safety Miles Scott 246th overall
Denver grabbed Illinois safety Miles Scott in the seventh round, adding a two-time collegiate captain who appeared in 55 games with 37 starts across a five-year career. Scott earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in 2025 after posting seven passes defensed, four TFLs, three interceptions, and a sack. A former wide receiver, he brings natural ball skills to a safety room that needed bodies after PJ Locke left in free agency. He also reunites with former Illinois teammates Pat Bryant and Alex Palczewski in Denver.Denver Broncos safety Miles Scott highlights
The highlight reel shows a player who plays bigger than his draft slot. Scott’s receiver background shows up in his ball tracking and hands — seven career interceptions for a safety is legitimate production — and his tape also flashes surprising physicality as a run-support defender. The converted wideout reads routes from a defensive perspective with the kind of anticipation you can’t teach, and his versatility to play both safety spots gives him multiple paths to earning a roster spot.Why the Broncos drafted Illinois safety Miles Scott
The answer starts with the depth chart. Behind starters Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones, the safety room is wide open after losing PJ Locke in free agency with no direct replacement. GM George Paton told reporters after Day 3 that they “really liked Scott’s ball skills,” which tracks for a former wide receiver with seven career picks. But the scouting staff flagged his physicality as the even clearer selling point — he hits harder than you’d expect from a converted wideout. Scott is the top sleeper candidate in Denver’s draft class, with the ball skills, two-spot versatility, and special teams upside to carve out a role as a rookie.
This is today’s “Horse Tracks”. There isn’t much news anyway, so I’m hoping to get these remaining posts out on our draft picks by Saturday morning! Hopefully by next week, we’re digging into the 90+ man roster reviews and preparing for the NFL schedule release extravaganza!
So, how do you feel about Miles Scott being drafted by the Broncos in the seventh? I liked the pick. Value pick. Depth pick. Can’t hate that and every once in a while you land a dude like Jonathon Cooper…
