Artavis Scott brings a lot to the table as a high school recruit and whichever college is lucky enough to land him will be getting a versatile prospect with plenty of talent and football knowledge. The 2014 wide receiver from Florida played six different positions his junior season and pretty much excelled at each one, although wide receiver was his main focus. Whether he was rushing off the edge as a defensive end or returning punts he made a spark with everything he did. He currently holds 19 offers in addition to Notre Dame’s from schools such as Florida, Florida State, and Ohio State.
He is teammates with offensive line prospect Mason Cole at East Lake High School and they have been offered by some of the same schools including the Irish. They’ve communicated on several occasions they would like to attend the same college and although they are not exactly considered to be a package deal, there is a chance that may occur.
FRAME/GROWTH POTENETIAL
Scott stands right around 6-feet and weighs close to 180 pounds. He looks to be near those measurements on film and is a well put together kid. He has nice size for the slot receiver in Notre Dame’s offense and his experience at running back will help in that role as well. He could grow another inch, but it’s not a necessity as his athletic ability and technique determines who he is as a player rather than his height. Of course, there’s always the need to get thicker and more durable and it’s completely within reason for him to reach 200 pounds within the next three years. His frame can certainly support that type of bulk.
ATHLETIC ABILITY
Scott has plenty of speed and enough under the hood to hit a high gear when he needs it. Finding his 40-yard dash time was like trying to locate the Ark of the Covenant and he even declined to answer what it was in an interview I found on the web. I’m not sure if he’s hiding anything, but watching his film you don’t ever wonder how much better of a player he would be if he was faster. The Tarpon Springs, Fla. product is fast enough to do everything that’s required of him on the football field extremely effectively.
I like the way he makes powerful cuts when he’s running with the football. Sometime you’ll see players throttle down a little before cutting, but Scott maintains his speed regardless of which direction he’s going. The results are a more powerful cut and a target that is both harder to get a bead on and bring down. If a defender tries to arm tackle him, especially after readjusting to his new direction, chances are he won’t have enough strength to bring him down.
Scott has good elusiveness, but I was really impressed with how he gets north-south right away after he makes a catch. That’s not to say he can’t shake someone with is agility and lateral movement, I’m just liked how he gets up field with a certain sense of urgency after he gets the ball. He’d rather get the sure yards right away and worry about making people miss later.
He has a running back mentality as a receiver when he’s running with the ball, which makes sense because of his experience at running back. He shows a lot of leg strength with the way he keeps them churning through the defender as he attempts to tackle him. They never stop and are a big reason he’s not an easy mark when it comes tackling him anywhere on the field. He runs hard and isn’t afraid of contact, especially when a defensive back is in his way.
SKILLS/TECHNIQUE
Scott has nice initial burst off the line of scrimmage and gets into his route in a hurry. There’s no wasted movement down or back – everything is moving forward and he immediately puts the defender on alert. This helps him with all the routes he runs regardless of length and gives him an extra advantage with his comeback routes as well. The corner is thinking long when he explodes off the ball, which gives him that much more separation when he makes his break.
Speaking of comeback routes (or deep hitches), I was impressed with the way Scott keeps coming back to the football when it’s in the air. Many receivers will break back to the ball, stop, and wait for the ball to come to them, which gives the cornerback time to make up for any space they lost in coverage. Scott will keep going toward the ball after his break, thus keeping the separation and not giving the corner time to recover. It may only be the difference of a step or two, but that could mean a first down rather than calling out the punt team.
Scott has excellent hands and made some really nice catches on film. He’s pretty reliable whether he has to go up and get it or it’s off to one side or the other. If there’s anything he needs to work on its catching the ball with his hands more. He has a tendency with some of the balls that are low or into his body to cradle it with his arms and pull it into his chest. I would like to see him use his hands more to grab those because sooner or later a few of those are going to bounce off his forearm or even his shoulder pads.
OVERALL
Scott brings several pieces to the forefront that will make him an outstanding receiver on the next level – he’s fast, can catch, runs good routes, and plays tough. He gets yards after the catch and will fight for extra turf even with defenders hanging all over him. He can run the seam from the slot or be a factor in the screen game. Notre Dame can use him as a slot receiver or in a number of other ways within the offense much they used Theo Riddick in recent years. He can bolster special teams as a return man as well. He has tremendous knowledge of the game and will be an asset to whatever team signs him next year.
GRADES
Size: 75 (perfect size for a slot)
Strength: 80 (strong legs, plays bigger than he is due to strength)
Speed: 85 (not sure of the exact 40 time, but he moves well enough to compete at a high level)
Athletic Skills: 80 (cuts hard and fast, runs with purpose, elusive when he needs to be)
Technique: 85 (runs great routes)
Versatility: 90 (plays all over the field in every facet of the game)
Upside: 4.0 (may play early depending on system)
Overall Grade: 4.0
GRADE KEY
90-100 – Elite/Exceptional: Skill set is rare and gives prospect ability to dominate
80-89 – Very Good/Outstanding: Skill set is a significant strength
70-79 – Average: Skill set is solid, not a significant weakness
60-69 – Below Average: Skill set is not a strength for this player and could become a liability
50-59 – Very Poor: Prospect does not possess this trait and it is a definite liability
OVERALL/UPSIDE GRADE KEY
5 – Elite: Player is one of the best players at his position nationally, potentially dominant
4 – Very Good/Outstanding: Player is a potential standout and starter, could also play early
3 – Solid: Player is a potential contributor, could eventually start down the road
2 – Below Average: Player does not possess the talent to be a significant contributor
1 – Poor: Let’s be honest, Notre Dame is not going to bring in anyone with a one!
