Zyon McCollum Wants To Turn Improvement Into Production

Zyon McCollum has come a long way, and he recently gained the trust of Bowles to play different positions in the secondary. When comparing his play this year to his rookie year, McCollum looked more comfortable in the secondary. That is a credit to learning the ropes of what it takes to play in the NFL.

“I think just settling in, just settling down,” McCollum recently said on The Sick Podcast with JC Allen as the key to his progress. “Your rookie year, every rookie handles it differently. Everybody is seeing everything for the first time and taking it on differently and so for me it was a little bit of chaos I guess in a sense. Having that [hamstring] injury early didn’t help out at all.

McCollum handled all of the chaos in stride. Having a veteran coach and mentor in Todd Bowles didn’t hurt either. The encouragement he received from the coaching staff aided him leading into his second season. That along with a desire to keep getting better every day.

“I think in the offseason and what Bowles talked to me about at the end of the year was that they loved me and they trusted in me,” McCollum added. “They wanted me to just trust myself and that this [past] offseason was going to be big in terms of the mental growth that I was going to have to take. I was going to have to step up.

“If you don’t step up in this league, then obviously we know what happens, you know? [Laughs] It was a little bit of needed pressure throughout the offseason to where every day I’m waking up and I’m like, ‘Okay, I got to get one step closer. I have to get a little bit better because I have people who are depending on me and people who expect me to come back to OTAs and back to training camp ready.’ Now I feel like the game has slowed down a ton and I’m able to just play a little bit more free out there.”

Zyon McCollum Is “Itching” To Catch Interceptions

Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 199 pounds, Zyon McCollum is a tall, lanky cornerback who pairs plus size with plus speed. For him, it’s about honing in on his physical traits and turning them into results.

“Production,” McCollum recently told Pewter Report about the one thing he wants to improve on heading into the 2024 offseason. “I’m so INT-minded myself, I just want to catch interceptions, I want to force fumbles. I’m like itching here.

“I had an old coach tell me that if I could catch 50 passes a day every day in the offseason I wouldn’t get less than 13 interceptions in a single NFL season. He played safety for a long time for the Rams, Pat Thomas. This offseason, best believe I’m going to be catching 50 passes a day. Maybe that ball will just gravitate toward me.”

While he has yet to turn that into recording interceptions (yet), what McCollum did do is increase his output in other categories after receiving more playing time. Here is how he was able to improve statistically:

2022: 13 games, three starts, 24 total tackles, one pass deflection

2023: 17 games, nine starts, 68 total tackles, nine pass deflections, two forced fumbles

Pat Thomas hauled in 26 interceptions over seven seasons with the Rams. His time in the NFL included two Pro Bowl selections, most notably in 1978 when he had eight picks. If McCollum, who had 15 career interceptions at Sam Houston State, sticks to his offseason regimen of catching passes, perhaps he could get a healthy dose of interceptions himself starting next season.

Zyon McCollum Could Have A Larger Role In 2024

Zyon McCollum’s improvement has not gone unnoticed, and Bucs defensive back Christian Izien recently gave his thoughts on what he thinks of his contemporary in the secondary.

“Zyon’s great,” Izien recently told Pewter Report. “He has the versatility to play the corner, play safety, play nickel. He does it all. I think he’s a great find by our staff here. He has all the ability in the world, he has the size. I’m looking forward to playing alongside him for another year.”

With another year of experience, Zyon McCollum looks bound to have an even greater role within the Bucs’ defense. If the team decides to move on from Carlton Davis III, McCollum could take over as a starting boundary cornerback. If Izien moves back to strong safety, which is what he played at Rutgers, McCollum is a possible nickel option. Heck, he has a chance to work his way into the strong safety mix himself.

As Todd Bowles mentioned, Zyon McCollum’s versatility was key to improving drastically this season. With a strong desire to continue working over the offseason and being eager to step up, the next step for him is becoming a regular starter with the production to match in 2024.