Bucs Gameday

Buccaneers trade up for explosive cornerback in fifth round

The Bucs have drafted the most athletic cornerback to come through the NFL Combine in 35 years.

Collin Haalboom

Hopefully for Bucs fans, they didn't stray too far away from their televisions since the team announced their last pick. If they did however, it would be an understandable decision based on the number of picks that were slated to take place between the Bucs' last selection in the fourth round, and their next in the seventh.

Buccaneers' GM, Jason Licht has traded a future 2023 fourth round draft pick, in exchange for a 5th rounder (157), and a seventh rounder (235) in this year's draft.

READ MORE: Buccaneers Insider gives thoughts on Rob Gronkowski's future

He wasted no time in making the selection, where he picked cornerback, Zyon McCollum of Sam Houston State. McCollum is an incredibly explosive athlete, with all of the physical traits that the Bucs' covet most. 

How explosive you ask? Well, the most explosive. Literally.

McCollum's Relative Athletic Score (RAS) earned him the title of the most athletic cornerback prospect to participate in the NFL Combine in the last 35 years. 

Listed at 6'2" and 199 pounds, he ran a blistering 4.33 forty yard dash. As you can see from the graphic above, his height, weight, vertical and broad jump scores, as well as his agility testing, are quite literally the best of the best. 

Over the course of his career at Sam Houston State, McCollum helped his team win an FCS title. He was an AP All-American and a first-team All-Western Athletic player. He finished his career with 13 interceptions and 6 forced fumbles for the Bearkats, which helped him earn the reputation of being a ball-hawk. 

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He is a big, strong, corner who plays with physicality. He has excellent ball skills, but isn't always at his most effective when defending the deep ball. He's experienced and capable of excelling in press man coverage, or a zone defensive scheme--which makes him a perfect fit for Todd Bowles' defense. McCollum also has experience on special teams, where he excelled as a gunner. 

So with all of this natural talent and proven ability, why on earth was Zyon McCollum still on the board at this point of the draft? We don't know for sure. He's got some areas to improve on, like using his size more to his advantage as a tackler. But what prospect doesn't? 

READ MORE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers selection tracker

Selecting Zyon McCollum with the 157th pick in the draft feels like an absolute steal for Jason Licht and the Buccaneers. Just when people were wondering why the Bucs chose to bypass on drafting a corner, Jason Licht manages to work his way back into the fifth round, and grabs himself a really promising one.

Stay tuned to BucsGameday for continuing coverage of the NFL Draft. 

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.

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