Bucs’ Zyon McCollum poised for breakthrough after dog days of 2022

TAMPA — In the wake of a somber rookie season, he opted for even more gray and grim, with a dash of dark tossed in. The bleak colors hound him daily.

Zyon McCollum would have it no other way. He chose to love his new Great Dane, whom he and his fiancee named Aether.

“We wanted to give him (a name) that fits his coat,” the second-year Bucs cornerback said. “Really, he looks like the sky on a cloudy day, and his coat is like, black and gray and cloudy.”

All the antithesis of the consensus fall forecast for McCollum in Year 2 of his NFL life. Nearly a full year removed from a partial left-hamstring tear, which led to a rookie season in which he never really found his bearings or his elite fifth gear, the former fifth-round pick appears poised for an astounding reboot.

“We expect him to do great things for us,” veteran inside linebacker Lavonte David said early last week in training camp. “He’s doing what we expect him to do.”

The evidence of a breakout has manifested itself for months, from organized team activities to minicamp to training camp. Arguably the best pure athlete of the Bucs’ 2022 draft class, McCollum — who ran the sixth-fastest 40-yard dash (4.33 seconds) at last year’s NFL combine — is able to hit top speed again.

Moreover, acceleration now is accompanied by acclimation.

Which is to say, the culture shock of the transition from the collegiate nether region of Sam Houston State to the NFL has worn off.

“That’s the word right there — comfort,” McCollum said. “I feel comfortable in the system, I feel comfortable in my own skin, I feel comfortable in between those white lines. And that allows me to play faster, it allows me to see the game slower and to really just get back to making plays, which is what I do.”

Twelve months ago, McCollum’s head was swimming. And his hamstring was throbbing.

During a joint practice session with the Titans in Nashville last August, McCollum elevated to attempt a pass breakup in a one-on-one drill and landed awkwardly on one leg.

“It was a 30% (hamstring) tear off the bone, my thigh and my glute,” said McCollum, sidelined the season’s first four weeks.

“There wasn’t one day last year where I actually felt 100%. But I could run, and I knew that I could bring value, so I was going to throw myself out there and give my all, no matter what.”

The results were as drab as Aether’s complexion. Hampered by his injury and overwhelmed by the fleetness of the NFL game, McCollum managed one pass defended in 13 games, achieving a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 51.4, lowest among Bucs cornerbacks.

He was especially exposed in a one-point win against the Saints on a Monday night in early December. Thrust into nickel-corner duty due to a series of injuries, McCollum struggled mightily in press coverage and missed a handful of tackles.

“Everything’s faster (in the NFL), everything’s bigger,” said McCollum, who helped lead Sam Houston State to an FCS national title in 2020.

“You’re having trouble seeing over the (offensive) line and looking at the quarterback, but also you’re caught up playing techniques that worked versus lesser competition that don’t seem to translate over to the next level. So, it’s basically just stripping your game down completely naked, starting from square one and just building day by day, brick by brick.”

Roughly 19 months into his pro career, a foundation seems to have been established. McCollum, who projects as the Bucs’ No. 3 cornerback, had an acrobatic interception of a deep Mitch Trubisky pass while in single coverage in the preseason opener against the Steelers.

But befitting a youngster still in need of NFL reps, the pick was offset by some blemishes. He blew an outside-gap assignment that led to a 14-yard Anthony McFarland scoring run and was flagged for illegal contact on third-and-5 late in the first half.

“Physically, we know he can run and do a lot of things,” coach Todd Bowles said. “Understanding the scheme and the game slowing down for him and him making the right plays — not necessarily the wow plays — has been really big this (offseason) from a mental standpoint for him. He’s been doing a great job at that.”

Regardless of how the fall and winter play out, McCollum’s spring projects as sublime. He and fiancee Acacia Shepardson — to whom he proposed at the Florida state line — are set to be married in late March.

At least things between the white lines have slowed down.

“I’ve seen his progress since (organized team activities),” David said. “When I was watching the film, I was seeing him making plays and stuff like that. (Then), him coming in during training camp and making those same kind of plays that we expect him to make, they drafted him for a reason. He’s a physical specimen as a cornerback; he’s a very smart, very intelligent player.

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls

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