Zyon McCollum Is Due For A Big Breakout In 2024

The Bucs are putting a lot of trust in Zyon McCollum. The uber-athletic corner has steadily risen from a raw fifth-round pick in 2022 and is now poised to be a starter this upcoming year. Tampa Bay’s leadership was so confident in his year one-to-year two jump that it played a role in them trading away talented veteran Carlton Davis III for a third-round pick this offseason.

McCollum was far from a polished product in 2023, but there were plenty of signs of improvement that rightfully have the Bucs excited about what he is, and more importantly, what he can be going forward.

Zyon McCollum’s 2023 From 20k Feet

Here are some high-level metrics to help evaluate McCollum’s 2023 season. Per Pro Football Focus, he was targeted 93 times on 574 coverage snaps. That means he was targeted once every 6.17 coverage snaps. For comparison the average NFL corner was targeted once every 7.12 coverage snaps last year, meaning McCollum was picked on more than normal.

McCollum allowed 56 catches on those 93 targets for a catch rate allowed of 60.22%, which was 4.42% less than the average corner. Those 56 catches went for 635 yards and meant he gave up 1.11 yards per coverage rep. That was 0.04 higher than league average. He gave up 258 yards after the catch (0.45 yards per coverage rep) and forced nine incompletions (9.68% of the times he was targeted). The league average for those last two metrics are 0.41 and 11.95%, respectively. These all add up to McCollum performing as a slightly below-average corner.

Considering McCollum’s lack of experience against elite talent in college and his limited playing time in 2022, that outcome was actually a positive development.

Zyon McCollum’s Improvements From 2022 to 2023

McCollum made a huge jump in his play from year one to year two. The overarching theme that surrounded this improvement came from a much better understanding of the defense and his role within it. Instead of reacting to the players in front of him, you could see McCollum processing the play in its entirety and reacting to what his assignment called for him to do. This was especially evident in his run defense, where you can see him understanding that he has an important role to play as an outside corner to hold the containment of the play at the edges.

In his rookie season, McCollum was burned multiple times throughout the season by jumping inside on a run and breaking containment. The opposing running back would then jump outside for a large gain with no defender occupying the edge.

In 2023, he largely cleaned that up with less freelancing and following the ball. It was replaced with assignment-sound trust in the rest of the defense while holding his own gap.

You could also see McCollum playing more confidently in zone as a deep third defender. By the end of the season, he was comfortable pinching deep verticals, as evidenced by this two-play sequence against former Buc Scotty Miller.

Really cool two play sequence here from Zyon McCollum. Play one keeps up with Scotty Miller on the deep post and uses his length to undercut/win late. Play two gets a good physical press before bailing to the flat for a PBU. pic.twitter.com/r60dQKJAey

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) June 18, 2024

These improvements were a godsend for the Bucs, as they had to rely on McCollum more than they probably expected to. He played more snaps than either Jamel Dean or Carlton Davis III. And because of these improvements, he was able to play at a near league-average level to help the defense throughout the season.

Where Does Zyon McCollum Need To Improve This Season?

There are a couple of areas that McCollum will need to continue to develop in order to ascend to an above-average defensive back or better, such as:

Defending In-Breaking Routes

As I watched McCollum’s 2023 campaign, it became evident quickly that he prefers to push receiver releases to the outside, where he can put his large frame in between the quarterback and the pass-catcher while simultaneously creating an extra defender by using the sideline as a squeeze. But the vast majority of catches and yards he allowed last year came off of an inside release on a slant or shallow cross when in man coverage. This was because of two factors.

First, McCollum’s punch on press was wildly inconsistent. He could often miss his jab altogether, leaving him off balance and in an extreme trail of the receiver, who then had a clean release and an unobstructed path for his route. Secondly, because McCollum wanted to hedge to create an outside release for the receiver, he could often get tripped up with his footwork as the opposing receiver would set him up with varied release techniques.

He got better in the back half of the season, but early to the middle of the season McCollum struggled vs Inside releases. pic.twitter.com/79GEcxOvft

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) June 21, 2024

Late in the season, McCollum’s press technique improved, with more consistent and accurate jabs combined with more balanced footwork. He also was using his outside hand on the receiver’s hip to get a better idea of which way the route was going to develop.

By late season this had gotten much better. Here he is against Calvin Ridley on an inside release wk 16. pic.twitter.com/Z9ihfRM2kD

— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) June 21, 2024

McCollum’s struggles against in-breakers weren’t exclusive to him in press-man. He could get twisted when playing off in zone. As receivers would reduce space between them and him, they could often catch him hedging for a corner/out release and immediately switch to a post/dig that left him out of position. For McCollum to improve year-over-year, he is going to need to be more patient and allow stems to develop, or I’d prefer him to become a bit more physical as the receiver stems to break the timing of the route and disrupt their rhythm.

The improvements toward the end of the season are encouraging, but far from an expectation at this point. But if he can continue to develop his defense against in-breakers, you should see his target rate, catch rate allowed and ultimately his yards allowed go down.

Tackling

I mentioned earlier that McCollum’s tackling improved from his rookie year. While that is encouraging, he still is not where I would say he is a reliable tackler. McCollum still has a penchant for lowering his head, losing sight of his target and trying to throw a hard shoulder. I posted a thread of game cutups for him here.

Watch his tackling technique, how many times he either misses or almost misses a tackle is too much for my liking. Yes, it helped result in a forced fumble at one point, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. If you contrast his tackling to his running mate Jamel Dean, it’s night and day in terms of technique and consistency.

Leveraging His Athleticism With Reduced Space

McCollum’s speed and hip flexibility give him a unique advantage that most corners do not possess. He can recover quicker than most. To help leverage those talents, the Bucs would be wise to allow him to play with reduced pre-snap cushions. There were several plays last year where he identified speed outs or quick hitches and closed quickly. He was able to make quick tackles. Those tackles could become pass breakups in 2024 if he’s allowed to play zone closer to the line of scrimmage and given less distance to close.

If offenses want to try and adjust to that by running double moves or more fades, good luck to them. McCollum was at his best against fade/go routes last year, and anytime he gets to defend deep verticals is just playing more to his strengths. This strategy would help him against the quick routes and push offenses to play more to his strengths.

Given his year-over-year learning curve and in-season improvements added to his inherent athleticism, the arrow is pointing way up for Zyon McCollum as he enters year three. Count me as a believer that he will have a big season for the Bucs in 2024.

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