2025 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Texas A&M Defensive Lineman Nic Scourton

The Bengals love maximizing their roster with versatile players and Nic Scourton fits that bill. There are questions on production ebbs and flows, but his getting back to his early playing weight for the NFL bodes well for past production.

The 2025 Cincinnati Bengals’ defense needs work. After being a major catalyst in the team’s epic run in 2021 and 2022, a lethal combination of free agency attrition, aging players, and low returns on draft picks has taken a toll on that side of the ball.

The prevailing belief is that the team will address its defensive line early—and potentially often—in a couple of weeks, and it appears to be a deep class to do so. Whether it’s an interior lineman to give more bite to the middle of the line or athletic edge defenders, Cincinnati should be able to get immediate returns from these high picks.

One player who could catch the eyes of Cincinnati’s staff is Nic Scourton. The junior experienced several twists and turns during his three-year collegiate career, and teams are hoping he’ll return to the form he showed during his standout sophomore season, rather than what they saw in 2024 as a junior.

Nic Scourton

• Height: 6’2 1/2”
• Weight: 257
• Age: 21 (22 upon season starting)
• Year: Junior
• Hometown: Timpson, Texas
• RAS:

Background

Scourton was a sought-after recruit coming out of high school, playing in the 2022 All-American Bowl. After flashing for scouts as a junior and senior, he went on to play for Purdue.

He saw the field right away for the Boilermakers, racking up 22 tackles and two sacks as a freshman. He followed that with an outstanding sophomore season, leading the Big Ten Conference with 10 sacks in 2023, along with 50 total tackles (15 for loss) and three passes defended.

Given his early career production, Scourton entered the transfer portal to boost his draft visibility and opted for Texas A&M. While he hoped for a breakout season, his numbers saw a noticeable drop—likely due to schematic differences in how the Aggies used him compared to his role at Purdue.

Playing a blend of roles as a junior, Scourton still managed to notch five sacks and 14 tackles for loss in 2024.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Scourton’s versatility can’t be overlooked. While he excelled in an outside linebacker/edge role at Purdue, he also embraced the role Texas A&M’s coaches asked of him, playing more along the defensive line. Although he still played 500 of his 558 total snaps from the edge last year (down from 677 edge snaps in 2023), he was tasked with being more of a run defender than he was at Purdue.

Last year, Scourton bulked up to 280 pounds to meet the demands of the Aggies’ defensive scheme. Because of the added weight and positional shift, his stats took a hit.

However, his knack for making tackles behind the line of scrimmage didn’t waver much year over year. It’s that ability as an all-around disruptor—whether in quarterback sacks, tackles for loss, or passes defended (five over the past two seasons combined)—that has scouts excited about his potential.

Scourton appears to have committed to playing as a true edge rusher in the pre-draft process, as indicated by his weigh-in at around 260 pounds. That will appeal to teams, though questions may still linger about how to best utilize his skill set at the next level.

Outlook

Scourton is one of the most intriguing defensive players in this class. Did the transition to Texas A&M stunt his development in a way that will lead to a steeper NFL learning curve, or will he be able to adapt with relative ease due to his youth and college track record?

Whatever his NFL role may be, Scourton has proven to be a frustrating matchup for opposing offenses. Most pundits have him ranked within the top seven edge defenders in this year’s class, though he likely would have been higher if not for the weight fluctuation.

It will be interesting to see not only when he gets selected during draft weekend, but also which coaching staff takes a chance on him, given his unique college journey.

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