When the Bucs traded up in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft to select Zyon McCollum out of Sam Houston State they coveted McCollum’s elite athleticism and playmaking ability. McCollum was the most athletic cornerback to ever come out of the NFL Draft since 1987, according to Kent Lee Platte’s Relative Athletic Score (RAS) system.

Zyon McCollum is a CB prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 10 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1 out of 2001 CB from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/VQ0qXsdpCD #RAS pic.twitter.com/koxvrxZFyN

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 27, 2022

That athleticism showed up in coverage last year where McCollum allowed fewer receiving yards and touchdowns and a lesser completion percentage than starting cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III despite playing more snaps than either due to their combined 11 missed starts with injuries.

With the Bucs trading the oft-injured Davis to Detroit for a third-round pick this offseason, McCollum now has the chance to be a full-fledged starter opposite Dean. Even though he started nine games last year in place of either Dean or Davis.

“Everything I use as motivation, no matter what it is – positive or negative,” McCollum said. “This is really no different. Every single year I’m going into the offseason working as hard as I can. Now, having been thrown into the fire last year and knowing what to expect and what I have to do to play at a super great form, it’s just exciting for me. Each and every day I carry a chip on my shoulder.”

Last year, McCollum showed a lot of improvement from a very shaky rookie season where he was a poor tackler and a liability in the run game during his three starts in 2022.

“It improved when I finally learned how to tackle, to be honest,” McCollum said. “In college, I think I was just running out full speed and leading with my head and I hoped that he would go down basically. My rookie year, missing a lot of tackles … that doesn’t work here. Just learning to use my shoulders, to wrap up and stay on my feet and to know that I don’t have to be 100 miles per hour to every play. I just have to play at my speed and let everything come to me. It made everything open up – not just tackling.”

Zyon McCollum Wants To Be A Playmaker This Year
Now that Zyon McCollum is preparing to start this season, he wants to start making plays.

McCollum had nine passes defensed in 2023 but has yet to record his first NFL interception. He had an INT slip right through his hands in the end zone on Christmas Eve versus Jacksonville in a blowout win.

“Becoming a playmaker,” McCollum said of his primary focus this upcoming season. “In college, I was always known for getting my hands on footballs and making plays, whether it be forcing fumbles or interceptions. That’s the next part of my game, to start making those big plays.”

McCollum had 13 interceptions and forced six fumbles in five seasons at Sam Houston State. That was one of the reasons why the Bucs traded away a fourth-round draft pick in 2023 to move up to select him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Now that he knows Todd Bowles’ defense and has plenty of experience after accumulating 12 career starts in his first two seasons, McCollum plans to use the OTAs and mini-camp to take more chances on the ball and get used to picking off passes. By taking some risks and jumping routes in the non-do-or-die setting of practices, which don’t count, McCollum hopes to hone his ball skills and truly become a playmaker at the NFL level.

“My confidence has grown, especially from my rookie year,” McCollum said. “Taking calculated chances is how you make plays in this league. It’s not going to be perfect, but I’m looking to fail and get better and fail and get better. OTAs and this type of environment is the best time to do that. Taking chances is the name of the game – my game, at least.”

Zyon McCollum Is Part Of A Fast And Furious Bucs Secondary
Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean could probably have a footrace to see which cornerback is faster. But with Dean’s 4.3 speed and McCollum’s 4.33 speed, Tampa Bay may have the league’s fastest starting duo at cornerback this season.

Combined with the ferocious playing style of All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. and the hard-hitting ability that Jordan Whitehead has at safety, the Bucs have quite the fast and furious secondary. So just how good could this Tampa Bay secondary be this season?

“The sky is the limit,” McCollum said. “That’s the main thing – everybody just staying healthy and staying focused, one day at a time. But the sky is the limit. The athleticism is there. I think they did a really good job of putting like minds on this defense and on the field so we can talk to each other. There’s no drop-off in communication. I’m excited. As a corner, you want to play with All-Pro safeties. Knowing that Antoine is back there, knowing that Jordan is back there, and he’s been in this system before, I’m super excited. I feel like we can really let loose.”