Getty Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollom.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need someone on the roster to become a star in 2024 that no one anticipates — one certain sign that the season is going in the right direction.
PFF’s Bradley Locker believes that player for the Buccaneers could be third-year cornerback Zyon McCollom, who will step into a bigger role after cornerback Carlton Davis III was traded to the Detroit Lions in March 2024.
“Tampa Bay sent stud cornerback Carlton Davis III to Detroit, leaving a gap in its secondary,” Locker wrote. “One of the top names to step up is McCollum, who should start on the outside next to Jamel Dean. McCollum hasn’t been superb through two seasons, with both years ending with an overall grade no higher than 50.4, but his tackling and run defense play each improved in his second year. After all, he already has Todd Bowles’ trust, with his 870 snaps in 2023 ranking fourth on Tampa.”
McCollom is playing for big stakes — the Buccaneers will have to make a decision about picking up the fifth-year option for his rookie contract after this season.
From FCS Champion to NFL Starting Cornerback
McCollom’s college career saw him win an FCS national championship at Sam Houston State in 2020 — with games played in spring 2021 — and followed the team from FCS to FBS when the Bearkats moved from the Southland Conference to the Western Athletic Conference.
Wherever McCollom played and whatever level he played on, he was one of the best players on the field.
McCollom was a three-time All-Southland pick before making first team All-WAC and third-team Associated Press All-American in 2021 with 50 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 TFL and 8 passes defended.
McCollom, 6-foot-2 and 199 pounds, blew scouts away at the NFL combine by running the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds. Projected as a third or fourth-round pick, the Buccaneers selected McCollom in the fifth round (No. 157 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft.
“Ball-hawking FCS cornerback with outstanding combination of size and athletic traits for the next level,” NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “McCollum is big and plays with good physicality in coverage but his footwork to match the release and phase the route tend to stand out. He is instinctive and has great ball skills at the catch-point but there is room for improvement playing downfield throws. His play speed is good but he might not have the instant juice to prevent being stacked on vertical routes from press. He can press or play all forms of zone and has early special-teams value as he transitions into the pros.”
Twin Brother in NFL, Father Played in NBA
McCollom has some serious athletic talent in his family.
His twin brother, Tristin, played alongside him at Sam Houston State and is a second-year safety with the Philadelphia Eagles after going undrafted in 2022.
McCollom’s father, Cory Carr, is a former NBA player who was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 1998 NBA draft out of Texas Tech. After playing one season in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, Carr played 18 seasons of professional basketball overseas.