 McCollum in 2025 | |||||||||||||
| No. 27 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||||||||||||
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| Position | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | (1999-05-03)May 3, 1999 (age 26) Galveston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 199 lb (90 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Ball (Galveston) | ||||||||||||
| College | Sam Houston State (2017–2021) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2022: 5th round, 157th overall pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||
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Zyon McCollum (born May 3, 1999) is an American professionalfootballcornerback for theTampa Bay Buccaneers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theSam Houston State Bearkats before being selected by the Buccaneers in the fifth round of the2022 NFL draft.
McCollum grew up inGalveston, Texas and attendedBall High School.[1] He initially committed to playcollege football at Utah alongside his twin brother,Tristin.[2] However, citing a desire to play closer to home, he and his brother reneged on their commitment and signed papers of intent to play at Sam Houston State.[3]
McCollum became a starter at cornerback during his freshman season.[4] He was named first-team All-Southland Conference after recording 44 tackles with eight passes broken up and three interceptions in his sophomore season.[5] McCollum was named second-team All-Conference as a junior after intercepting three passes and breaking up 11 despite missing the final three games of the season due injury.[6] He had 46 tackles and was a first-team All-Southland during his senior season, which was shortened and played in the spring of 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, as the Bearkats won the2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game.[7] McCollum decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and return to Sam Houston State for a fifth season.[8] In his final season, he had 50 tackles, two tackles for loss, three interceptions, and eight passes defended and was named first-team All-Western Athletic Conference.[9]
NFL.com media analystDaniel Jeremiah had him ranked as the ninth best cornerback (78th overall) in the draft.[10]Scouts Inc. listed McCollum as the 11th best cornerback prospect (88th overall) on their big board.[11] NFL draft analyst Kevin Hanson ofSports Illustrated had McCollum ranked as the 14th best cornerback available in the draft.[12] Josh Edwards ofCBSSports.com had him ranked as the 15th best cornerback (107th overall) available in the draft.[13] Cory Giddings ofBleacher Report ranked McCollum as the 21st best cornerback prospect (161st overall) in the draft.[14] The majority of NFL draft analysts projected him to be selected in the third or fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Zyon McCollum runs 4.33s 40-yard dash |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+1⁄8 in (1.88 m) | 199 lb (90 kg) | 30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.33 s | 1.46 s | 2.51 s | 3.94 s | 6.48 s | 39.5 in (1.00 m) | 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) | 15 reps | |
| Sources:[15][16] | ||||||||||||
TheTampa Bay Buccaneers selected McCollum in the fifth round (157th overall) of the2022 NFL draft.[17] The Buccaneers orchestrated a trade with theJacksonville Jaguars in order to immediately draft McCollum, agreeing to trade a fourth-round pick (121st overall) in the2023 NFL draft to the Jaguars in exchange for their fifth (157th overall) and seventh-round (235th overall) selections in the 2022 NFL draft. He was the 22nd cornerback selected in 2022.
| External videos | |
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| Bucs select Zyon McCollum No. 157 | |
| Bucs call 5th round pick Zyon McCollum |
On May 12, 2022, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed McCollum to a four–year, $3.98 millionrookiecontract that includes an initialsigning bonus of $321,732.[18]
Throughouttraining camp, he competed to earn a role as a backup cornerback againstRoss Cockrell,Dee Delaney, andRashard Robinson. On August 18, 2022, McCollum suffered a hamstring injury during practice and would be sidelined for the remaining two preseason games.[19] Head coachTodd Bowles named him a backup and listed him as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behindJamel Dean,Carlton Davis, andSean Murphy-Bunting.[20]
He began his rookie season inactive for the first four games (weeks 1–4) due to a hamstring injury he suffered during practice in training camp.[19] On October 9, 2022, McCollum made his professional regular season debut and recorded two solo tackles as the Buccaneers defeated theAtlanta Falcons 21–15.[21] On October 23, 2022, McCollum earned his first career start after injuries to Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting. He recorded four combined tackles (three solo) during a 3–21 loss at theCarolina Panthers.[21] The following week, he earned his second start in-a-row and set a season-high with five combined tackles (four solo) and made the first pass deflection of his career as the Buccaneers lost 22–27 to theBaltimore Ravens. He finished his rookie season in 2022 with 24 combined tackles (18 solo) and one pass defended in 13 games and three starts.[21] He received an overall grade of 46.3 from Pro Football Focus as a rookie in 2022.[22]
He entered training camp slated as a backup. Head coach Todd Bowles named him a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind returning starters Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean.[23]
In week 12, he set a new season-high with nine combined tackles (six solo) during a 20–27 loss at theIndianapolis Colts.[24] In week 14, McCollum recorded nine combined tackles (six solo) and set a season-high with two pass deflections during a 29–25 victory at theAtlanta Falcons. He finished the season with a total of 68 combined tackles (49 solo), nine pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 17 games and nine starts.[24] He received an overall grade of 73.3 fromPro Football Focus in 2023.[25]
TheTampa Bay Buccaneers finished the2023 NFL season with a 9–8 record, claiming first in theNFC South to clinch a playoff berth. On January 21, 2024, McCollum recorded six combined tackles (five solo) as the Buccaneers lost 23–31 at theDetroit Lions in the divisional round.
McCollum entered training camp as a possible candidate to replace Carlton Davis as a starting cornerback following his departure, but had to earn the role in a competition againstBryce Hall,Tavierre Thomas,Josh Hayes, andKeenan Isaac.[26] Head coach Todd Bowles named him the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Jamel Dean.[27]
On September 15, 2024, McCollum made six combined tackles (five solo), set a career-high with four pass deflections, and made his first career interception on a pass byJared Goff to wide receiverJameson Williams during a 20–16 victory at theDetroit Lions.[28] In Week 5, he set a season-high with ten combined tackles (seven solo) and made two pass deflections as the Buccaneers lost in overtime 30–36 at theAtlanta Falcons.[29] He started all 17 games throughout the2024 NFL season and finished with a total of 82 combined tackles (55 solo), a career-high 17 pass deflections, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. He received an overall grade of 69.5 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 54th amongst 222 qualifying cornerbacks in 2024.[30]
On September 5, 2025, McCollum signed a three-year, $48 million contract extension with $35.4 million guaranteed.[31]
McCollum is the identical twin brother of NFL safetyTristin McCollum.[32] He is also the son of former NBA playerCory Carr.[33]