Bucs have not cornered the market on defensive backs

Zyon McCollum is among the most athletic players in the NFL, a long-limbed cornerback with the kind of rare speed and leaping ability that should allow him to blanket the league's top receivers.

But after signing a three-year, $48 million contract extension last September, McCollum didn't have the kind of season either he or the Bucs had forecasted.

He had only one interception and Pro Football Focus gave him a 63.9 rating, ranking him 52nd out of 114 cornerbacks. He had only six passes defensed and yielded a 94.1 passer rating when targeted.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has said McCollum has stardom within his sight but has struggled keeping his eyes on the right target.

"Just his eyes. The concentration with his eyes," Bowles said. "That's the only thing wrong with Zyon. He's one of the best athletes I've seen in this league. When his eyes get off target, then he kind of messes things up a little bit. He understands that and that's one thing he's got to work on."

If McCollum felt the pressure of living up to his new deal, wait until this season.

Veteran cornerback Jamel Dean has moved on as a free agent with the Steelers.

Sure, the Bucs doubled down at the cornerback position a year ago in the draft. They started by selecting Notre Dame's Benjamin Morrison in the second round and Kansas State's Jacob Parrish in the third.

Morrison, who missed most of his final season at Notre Dame with a hip injury, struggled to stay healthy as a rookie. He went down with a hamstring injury in training camp and did not play much.

Parrish, on the other hand, was a quick study and established himself as a nickel corner with a skillset to do much more.

"They'll both play outside," Bowles said of Morrison and Parrish. "They'll definitely battle outside in the spring and the summer, and we think we've got two good ones there, but Parrish will definitely go back into the nickel when it's time to go in there."

A year ago, Bowles made it clear he was looking for ball hawks and found one in Parrish, who had two interceptions and seven pass breakups. Morrison shows even more promise if he can stay healthy.

"He showed some flashes," Bowles said of Morrison. "I think it's important for him to have a good offseason. He didn't have an offseason last year, so we'll get him back in the fold and has had a good offseason and stays healthy. He's definitely talented enough.''

Of course, you can't have too many good defensive backs in the NFL. Injuries to that position can torpedo your season.

That's why the Bucs have spent a lot of time evaluating defensive backs this offseason.

Sure, Morrison may bounce back and McCollum should be better. But what if they aren't?

One player who could be on the Bucs' radar is Tennessee defensive back Jermod McCoy. During his lone season of action with the Vols in 2024, McCoy started all 13 games and led the team with 13 passes defensed (fourth in the SEC).

Typically, McCoy would be long gone before the Bucs make their first selection at No. 15 overall.

But McCoy did not play last season due to his recovery from a torn ACL. Taking him may seem somewhat risky for the Bucs since last year they drafted Morrison coming off hip surgery.

"It was tough, but I had a big leadership role so I couldn't like step away and kind of be distant," McCoy said at the scouting combine. "I had to make sure I was pouring into guys in the room. We had young guys that had to step up, I had to make sure that they understood the standard in the room."

Other cornerbacks drawing interest in the first round include Clemson's Avieon Terrell, LSU's Mansoor Delane and San Diego State's Chris Johnson. In fact, Johnson had a Zoom call with the Bucs, Packers, Cowboys and Jaguars and has a virtual meeting with the Chiefs.

Delane, who spent three seasons at Virginia Tech before his All-American season with the Tigers, prides himself on being able to tackle as well as cover. He tallied 45 tackles, 13 passes defensed (second in the SEC), 11 pass breakups and two interceptions during his senior year.

"I'd say it's my physicality. You know, I like to show up in the running game, you know, as a corner," Delane said at the scouting combine. "Sometimes that goes ... unnoticed, but you know, I take that personally, being physical."

The Bucs have drafted four defensive backs in the past five years but depth at that position is always vital to success. What's more, Bowles and general manager Jason Licht have more or less thrived at that position. It's not farfetched to suggest they could even take one early in the draft.

NFL draft

April 23-25, Pittsburgh. TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network

Bucs picks: 15th (first round), 46th (second round), 77th (third round), 116th (fourth round), 155th (fifth round), 195th (sixth round), 229th (seventh round)

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 1:05 PM.