In his introductory interview after being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, former Cal safety Daniel Scott said he saw his path to playing time in the NFL the same as how he approached it in college.

"[Special teams] is a third of the game, I think, so we definitely valued it at Cal ... I also knew that's how I got my opportunity at Cal and it's also probably how I'm going to get my opportunity with the Colts," he said. "So just knowing that value and being of value to the team is important, so that's what I'm trying to do."

The Colts selected Scott -- Cal's only drafted player this year -- in the fifth round Saturday with the 158th overall pick.

Speaking on that selection, Colts general manager Chris Ballard also emphasized Scott's potential to impact the secondary as well.

"I think he's got a chance to play too. This guy's an instinctive, athletic, fast player, so we think he's going to help. Adds depth to the position," Ballard said. "A guy we had kind of been following the whole time through the process and liking every step along the way, so he adds great depth and I think he'll compete. I think he'll be in the mix to compete to play."

Scott had talked with the Colts during the Senior Bowl and a couple other times in the pre-draft process, he said, but he had no expectation for where he would land in the draft. As such, he tried not to stress about it all as the day unfolded Saturday.

"We tried to make it as normal as possible -- at the same time try to be as busy as possible too instead of just sitting around the TV the whole time," he said. "... Once I got the phone call I feel like my heart dropped a little bit. You kind of have all those years in the making of extra hard work, and finally reaching that goal your heart just drops and all your thoughts kind of go away and it's just pure happiness."

Incredibly, Scott now becomes the fifth Cal safety in the NFL from just the last four draft classes, following 2020 draftees Ashtyn Davis (New York Jets, third round) and Jaylinn Hawkins (Atlanta Falcons, fourth round), 2021 pick Camryn Bynum (Minnesota Vikings, fourth round) and 2022 draftee Elijah Hicks (Chicago Bears, seventh round).

"It just shows and is a testament of what kind of coaching staff and what type of program you have at Cal – how you're teaching your players, how you're trying to develop them," Scott said. "To have a safety drafted in each of the last four years and to be on an active roster on a team – I don't know what more information you need to prove to you that Cal is a place to go to if you need to go to the NFL and have aspirations of going to the NFL and playing defensive back."

Those Cal DBs who preceeded him into the NFL also served as an example and resource for Scott to find his own path to the league.

"First and foremost, they gave me the blueprint to be a professional, to study football, to work out as hard as I can, to have that mentality of always being a pro. I give them credit, they were a huge influence on my life," he said.

The Colts media asked Scott why he stayed at Cal for six years and waited patiently for his time opportunity on defense -- which came in 2020 during his fourth year in the program -- rather than transferring elsewhere.

He essentially reiterated the same point about his trust in the Bears coaching staff and the structure within the program to develop him and get him to his goals.

"I just think we had a good thing going, especially defensively at Cal. Have some great coaches ... It's one of those things where the grass isn't always greener on the other side," Scott said. "I thought we had a good thing going there, and I also knew the more opportunity I had the more tape I could show I could kind of showcase my abilities. So decided to come back for another fifth and sixth year and I think we made the most of it."

Indeed, he did.

After starting three of the four games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Scott tallied 167 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 6 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles over the last two seasons.

He may indeed have to prove himself first on special teams again as he transitions to the NFL, but like Ballard said, the potential is there for much more in the years to come.