LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- By acquiring DJ Moore in their blockbuster trade this offseason, the Bears believe they have formed one of the NFL's top trios at wide receiver by lining him up alongside Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool.
But don't limit the Bears' group at wide receiver to just three. Rookie Tyler Scott, a fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati, is ready to prove his place.
"I haven't put my mind to where he can go but I am excited about where he can go," Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. "I think that he has come in with the right mentality. He's a tough dude that works really hard and when you have talent and you have those two things, really good things are going to happen.
"He's a guy who's putting that on display."
The 21-year-old Scott became a fascinating prospect in the NFL Draft because of his top-flight speed. He was running track at the age of 5 and sprinting in the Junior Olympics before the age of 10. He applied that speed at Cincinnati, emerging as a promising prospect at wide receiver. Ten of Scott's 14 touchdowns over the last two seasons went for 30 yards or more.
As he begins with the Bears, Scott isn't looking at himself as anything more than a rookie.
"It's just coming in and earning the trust of everybody around me," Scott said. "That's the first thing. So, just earn the trust around me. I think coming in I just tried to humble myself. I was drafted, great. But at the end of the day, you just have to earn trust. My mindset is if I come in humbled, I can only be exalted. And if I come in exalted myself, I can only be humbled."
A running back in high school, Scott converted to wide receiver as a freshman at Cincinnati. He studied stars like Davante Adams, Terry McLaurin and Tyler Lockett to find his form at this new position. Scott is working to ensure that there's more to his game than just speed.
Beyond Moore, Mooney and Claypool, the Bears have roles to fill on the depth chart at wide receiver. There's an opening in the offense for Scott, who has also seen an opportunity stepping into special teams as a returner.
"I love the fact that he is so dialed in," Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said. "Every time a correction is made, he never makes the same mistake. I love that about him because it tells me that it's important to him and that he wants to be the best."
Said Scott: "If you really care about what you do, you really hone in on things like that."
Scott's most challenging hurdle as a rookie will be getting acclimated to the new pre-snap shifts and motions as part of the Bears' offense – something that wasn't part of the system at Cincinnati. Then he must line up across from a relentless NFL cornerback like Jaylon Johnson in a one-on-one matchup and become better from the experience.
The Bears see Scott as a player who's willing to work and eager to grow – a rookie ready to earn his place in this team's plans.
"If he's able to get better every single day, we're going to be better because of it," Getsy said. "We hope that happens."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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