JUST IN: Buccaneers’ Cornerback Selected for a Promising Performance in the ’24 Season!
In 2024, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need a player on the team that nobody sees coming big—one surefire indication that things are progressing well.
According to PFF’s Bradley Locker, Zyon McCollom, a third-year cornerback who will play a bigger role after cornerback Carlton Davis III was moved to the Detroit Lions in March 2024, might be that guy for the Buccaneers.
“Tampa Bay’s secondary was left vulnerable when star cornerback Carlton Davis III was traded to Detroit,” Locker stated. McCollum is one of the best players to step up, and he ought to start outside of Jamel Dean. Although McCollum hasn’t been great through two seasons—both ended with an overall grade of no more than 50.4—his play in run defense and tackles both became better in his second year. Considering that he already has Todd Bowles’ trust and ranks fourth on Tampa with 870 snaps in 2023,
McCollom has a lot riding on his shoulders because the Buccaneers will need to decide at the end of this season whether to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
From FCS Champ to Starting Cornerback in the NFL
With games played in the spring of 2021, McCollom’s college career saw him win an FCS national championship at Sam Houston State in 2020. He also followed the Bearkats from FCS to FBS when they transitioned from the Southland Conference to the Western Athletic Conference.
McCollom was among the finest players on the field no matter where he played or what level he was playing at.
Before making the first team All-WAC and third team Associated Press All-American in 2021 with 50 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 TFL, and 8 passes defensed, McCollom was a three-time selection for the All-Southland.
At the NFL combine, McCollom, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 199 pounds, stunned evaluators by finishing the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds. McCollom was chosen by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft (with choice No. 157 overall), after being projected as a third or fourth-round pick.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein described ball-hawking FCS cornerback as having an exceptional blend of size and athletic attributes for the next level in his pre-draft assessment. “McCollum is a large player who plays with solid force in coverage, but he often stands out for his matching footwork and route phase. He possesses excellent ball skills at the catch-point and is instinctive, but he might perform more while playing downfield throws. Although he plays with good speed, he could not have the quick reflexes to avoid getting stacked on vertical routes from presses. As he enters the pros, he has early special-teams value and can press or play any zone.
NBA player father and twin brother in the NFL
McCollom’s family is full with athletes with great potential.
After going undrafted in 2022, his twin brother Tristin, who played alongside him at Sam Houston State, is currently a second-year safety with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cory Carr, McCollom’s father, was a former NBA player who was chosen out of Texas Tech by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 1998 NBA draft. Carr played 18 seasons of professional basketball overseas after spending one season with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.
