Bears rookie recalls how Jets, Seahawks CBs prepared him for NFL

For two seasons, Chicago Bears rookie receiver Tyler Scott had to battle two starting-caliber NFL cornerbacks in practice at the University of Cincinnati.

And while it was surely daunting back then, Scott says it was those practices against New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Coby Bryant that helped him prepare for life in the NFL and gave him an advantage that most rookie receivers don’t typically have transitioning from college to the pros.

"Coby Bryant was a Jim Thorpe Award winner when I was there, and then at the same time you had on the other side of the field, you know, [Gardner] was a Rookie of the Year,” Scott said on the “Under Center” podcast. “So you're going against those two guys day in and day out, you learn a lot … so you got to learn how to get open against somebody who already knows what's coming and, you know, are good in the way that they are. So, it definitely gave me a leg up for sure.”

Scott joins a strong Bears receiver room that features D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool. While playing time will presumably be hard to come by with a depth chart that stacked, Scott is arguably better prepared for the challenge than most.