Welcome Zyon McCollum

[Dread]

If he has the brains for the position and can process information, watch out. He has the tools. Just have to coach him up.

Bewteen Ross and Bowles we have the teachers to develop this kid.

I love this pick. I wanted him to start the day and was upset we drafted a punter later in rd 4.

[Backside]

Still risked losing him for a punter.

[King Bootz]

Still risked losing him for a punter.

Not a very smart gamble. Glad it paid off but this was more luck than savvy.

[Pirate Life]

Please be able to catch balls thrown at you Zyon. That alone would make you the best CB we have.

[Miller4Prez64]

Still risked losing him for a punter.

Not a very smart gamble. Glad it paid off but this was more luck than savvy.

It did pay off, at the cost of our 4th round pick next year. I would have preferred just taking McCollum at that pick and not taking a punter at all.

[MJW]

Please be able to catch balls thrown at you Zyon. That alone would make you the best CB we have.

I thought I saw he had 13 career INTs, so hopefully not a problem.

[Dread]

Not a very smart gamble. Glad it paid off but this was more luck than savvy.

It did pay off, at the cost of our 4th round pick next year. I would have preferred just taking McCollum at that pick and not taking a punter at all.

Is that what we traded to get back in the 5th rd, our 2023 4th rounder?

I like the pick alot, but damn. Just use you the 4th instead of the punter. I mean this Punter better be the tits. Way better than that Aguayo guy

[Doctor]

I love this pick. Should've happened with the previous pick.

[Naismith]

It did pay off, at the cost of our 4th round pick next year. I would have preferred just taking McCollum at that pick and not taking a punter at all.

As would any sane person.

[Snake]

Literally the most athletic cornerback on record. So crazy lmao.

[mdb1958]

Houston Texans PFA Tristian McCollum, DB, Sam Houston!

Yep, Twins

[Snake]

The most athletic cornerback of all-time. in shorts. Better than the athletic CB GOAT, Deion Sanders...in shorts. Let's be clear. In shorts.

We all know the difference between shorts and gametime athleticism. Is the 4.4 guy with a 40 inch vertical but has a shitty kinesthetic sense and tight hips a better athlete than a 4.65, 34" guy who can seamlessly turn around in mid-air and snatch a ball with one hand while perfectly timing his leap? You see the difference. Deion had the best of both worlds. Zyon probably doesn't. but the Bucs don't need Deion. They only need a good corner.

Let's look at the broad stroke weaknesses instead, as relayed by NFL.com.

Punch is monotonous and predictable.
Early hip turn when playing press.
Needs to close distance from target when phasing route.
Allows receiver opportunities to work back to the football.
Caught face-guarding rather than finding the football versus Montana State.
Plays with narrow base and restricted stride length in burst mode.
Would like to see him play to his size as a hitter.

How many of those weaknesses sound difficult-to-bordering on impossible to coach out of a player? I see a couple, but that's probably it. NFL.com goes on to tout Zyon's "premium" football IQ, leadership, patience, and intangibles. Definitely makes it more feasible that he can reach his ceiling. Whatever that is. But, those were identified weaknesses against marginal competition. What other weaknesses will flair up against professionals?

and why did Zyon fall to the fifth round?

1. Zyon is 6'2 but his anthropometry makes him look 6'5, so it's not surprising he was rumored to be much taller prior to the combine. Oddly long torso, short arms. It also makes scouting his technique difficult because it just doesn't look normal. Look at his primary CB drill from the combine.



Watch it once. Looks a little funky, right? Watch it 10-15 times. Watch his hips. They stay in line. Watch his feet. Nimble and where they need to be. Is it A+ smoothness and fluidity. I'd say no. But, more than acceptable.

2. Horrendous competition.

99.9% athlete. 0.1% competition. Don't believe me? Teams faced in 2021...

Northern Arizona
Southeast Missouri
Central Arkansas
Stephen F Austin
Dixie State
LOL
WTF
OMG

If teams are taking Zyon's stats with a grain of salt (or a mountain), this is why. Playing in the MAC would be a step up here. In terms of competition, this is like going from high school to the majors and skipping 3 levels of minor league baseball. This is inherently risky. Doesn't matter how fast you are.

Not to say it's impossible. 97 former FCS players made 53-man rosters in 2021, including 7 CBs. 20 FCS players were just drafted over the last few days.

3. Some amateur opines think he may not stick at CB. Could some NFL teams see it the same way? If not CB, where?

Being the athlete he is, Zyon probably could've played multiple positions and excelled in FCS football. Does that mean he best fits at CB? Maybe. Maybe not. Watch the following video.



INTs are cool, PDs are cool and are statistically dominating. Those will happen against slow competition and crappy QBs. But an athlete like this needs to be physically dominating Timmy and other 5'9 WRs playing in front of 15 people for lunch money scholarships. There's a lot of tape where that simply is not happening.

He shows clips from Zyon's freshman year, and then five years later at the senior bowl. Zyon took the mulligan COVID-19 season and also played as a true freshman. FYI. Similar technique problems surface five years later. I understand FCS coaching probably isn't elite, but we aren't talking rocket science here.

Takeaway: I see the risks here. I get why he fell and I think it was appropriate. There are questions if Zyon is capable of playing physically against NFL athletes and also fixing some major technique and aggression problems.

[Primeminister]

Always enjoy your more in depth breakdowns @Snake. His success is going to rely on his ability to take coaching. That tape makes it clearer why he dropped so far. He is moldeable clay that could become a steal.

[Snake]

Thanks Prime. I’d post some game film gifs here (not that I’m an expert) but these FCS games were filmed with potatoes in a rainstorm. “I think that pixel is his arm…”

[Primeminister]

Thanks Prime. I’d post some game film gifs here (not that I’m an expert) but these FCS games were filmed with potatoes in a rainstorm. “I think that pixel is his arm…”

I can see how that presents a problem. I’m looking forward to seeing this Zyon kid against our top WR. I know he won’t get to face them regularly, but due to the strength of our WR room this should help this kid mature quickly. Coaches will see very quickly what they have to work with.

[mdb1958]

Thanks Prime. I’d post some game film gifs here (not that I’m an expert) but these FCS games were filmed with potatoes in a rainstorm. “I think that pixel is his arm…”

What has been the quality of his coaching so far? And did you see where I said he had a twin brother on the same team?

[Buc2]

If he has the brains for the position and can process information, watch out. He has the tools. Just have to coach him up.

Bewteen Ross and Bowles we have the teachers to develop this kid.

I love this pick. I wanted him to start the day and was upset we drafted a punter later in rd 4.

JL is bound and determined to draft a kicker that sticks. lol

[Sdbucs]

The most athletic cornerback of all-time. in shorts. Better than the athletic CB GOAT, Deion Sanders...in shorts. Let's be clear. In shorts.

We all know the difference between shorts and gametime athleticism. Is the 4.4 guy with a 40 inch vertical but has a shitty kinesthetic sense and tight hips a better athlete than a 4.65, 34" guy who can seamlessly turn around in mid-air and snatch a ball with one hand while perfectly timing his leap? You see the difference. Deion had the best of both worlds. Zyon probably doesn't. but the Bucs don't need Deion. They only need a good corner.

Let's look at the broad stroke weaknesses instead, as relayed by NFL.com.

Punch is monotonous and predictable.
Early hip turn when playing press.
Needs to close distance from target when phasing route.
Allows receiver opportunities to work back to the football.
Caught face-guarding rather than finding the football versus Montana State.
Plays with narrow base and restricted stride length in burst mode.
Would like to see him play to his size as a hitter.

How many of those weaknesses sound difficult-to-bordering on impossible to coach out of a player? I see a couple, but that's probably it. NFL.com goes on to tout Zyon's "premium" football IQ, leadership, patience, and intangibles. Definitely makes it more feasible that he can reach his ceiling. Whatever that is. But, those were identified weaknesses against marginal competition. What other weaknesses will flair up against professionals?

and why did Zyon fall to the fifth round?

1. Zyon is 6'2 but his anthropometry makes him look 6'5, so it's not surprising he was rumored to be much taller prior to the combine. Oddly long torso, short arms. It also makes scouting his technique difficult because it just doesn't look normal. Look at his primary CB drill from the combine.



Watch it once. Looks a little funky, right? Watch it 10-15 times. Watch his hips. They stay in line. Watch his feet. Nimble and where they need to be. Is it A+ smoothness and fluidity. I'd say no. But, more than acceptable.

2. Horrendous competition.

99.9% athlete. 0.1% competition. Don't believe me? Teams faced in 2021...

Northern Arizona
Southeast Missouri
Central Arkansas
Stephen F Austin
Dixie State
LOL
WTF
OMG

If teams are taking Zyon's stats with a grain of salt (or a mountain), this is why. Playing in the MAC would be a step up here. In terms of competition, this is like going from high school to the majors and skipping 3 levels of minor league baseball. This is inherently risky. Doesn't matter how fast you are.

Not to say it's impossible. 97 former FCS players made 53-man rosters in 2021, including 7 CBs. 20 FCS players were just drafted over the last few days.

3. Some amateur opines think he may not stick at CB. Could some NFL teams see it the same way? If not CB, where?

Being the athlete he is, Zyon probably could've played multiple positions and excelled in FCS football. Does that mean he best fits at CB? Maybe. Maybe not. Watch the following video.



INTs are cool, PDs are cool and are statistically dominating. Those will happen against slow competition and crappy QBs. But an athlete like this needs to be physically dominating Timmy and other 5'9 WRs playing in front of 15 people for lunch money scholarships. There's a lot of tape where that simply is not happening.

He shows clips from Zyon's freshman year, and then five years later at the senior bowl. Zyon took the mulligan COVID-19 season and also played as a true freshman. FYI. Similar technique problems surface five years later. I understand FCS coaching probably isn't elite, but we aren't talking rocket science here.

Takeaway: I see the risks here. I get why he fell and I think it was appropriate. There are questions if Zyon is capable of playing physically against NFL athletes and also fixing some major technique and aggression problems.

Would he be a better fit at FS?

[mdb1958]

Here's a story

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/sam- ... or-family/

[Snake]

Couple years out now. How we feeling? Getting playing time is a win for a 5th, yeah?

[Doctor]

Hell yeah, he's crushing it.

[Cheb]

Couple years out now. How we feeling? Getting playing time is a win for a 5th, yeah?

I think he's played really well his sophomore season, looking far better than he ever looked as a rookie. Whenever one of our super high-priced starting corners goes down (which happens with unfortunate regularity), McCollum jumps right in and we don't miss a beat.

One wonders if that makes Dean and/or CD3 expendable, but that's a question for another thread.

[TonyLip]

The Kid has come a long way from ‘Which way did he go’ to his current state of ‘Not so fast, You’.
While not a perfect player yet, he has definitely reduced his negative splashes by a ton.
Glad he’s here to help.

[Doctor]

Couple years out now. How we feeling? Getting playing time is a win for a 5th, yeah?

I think he's played really well his sophomore season, looking far better than he ever looked as a rookie. Whenever one of our super high-priced starting corners goes down (which happens with unfortunate regularity), McCollum jumps right in and we don't miss a beat.

One wonders if that makes Dean and/or CD3 expendable, but that's a question for another thread.

Given rotation and injury, you need all 3.

[Snake]

Big season coming up.

[Doctor]

Hit on all predictions.

See, people think if you predict good things you're a homer, but when the predictions keep hitting....

I call shit how I see it. And I see us as a pretty good squad. Sorry not sorry.

[13F11B]

Hit on all predictions.

See, people think if you predict good things you're a homer, but when the predictions keep hitting....

I call shit how I see it. And I see us as a pretty good squad. Sorry not sorry.

You are not always right, but your takes are well thought out and not just based on emotional attachments to vague stuff. You also admit when you are wrong. You are an asset to the board and a high value poster.

[Snake]

Hahah

[Bootz]

I love a good piece of satire in the morning.

[13F11B]

I love a good piece of satire in the morning.

That explains most of your posts.

[Doctor]

Hit on all predictions.

See, people think if you predict good things you're a homer, but when the predictions keep hitting....

I call shit how I see it. And I see us as a pretty good squad. Sorry not sorry.

You are not always right, but your takes are well thought out and not just based on emotional attachments to vague stuff. You also admit when you are wrong. You are an asset to the board and a high value poster.

Aw thanks.

Like Zyon was a great raw talent going to Todd Bowles. Thinking he'd one day be taking the reigns with Dean wasn't a hard leap.

Saying hey, a QB competition between a 2nd rounder and a still beloved fallen first overall might yield something wasn't wild.

Thinking Gronk being here to catch playoff TDs and move the SB needle is a great allocation of resources wasn't rose colored bias.

I don't think my takes are nearly as hot as people make them seem. Honestly, I think the craziest thing was hyping Dennis and Ramirez and the jury is still out on that.

[Bootz]

I love a good piece of satire in the morning.

That explains most of your posts.

You're so right. Which isn't a surprise considering you're the absolute brightest most interesting individual to ever grace this board.

[Doctor]

There's some Camarda slander in this thread that needs to be apologized for.

[GreatTimes]

I hope Zyon continues to improve and becomes an all pro.

[Snake]

I hope Zyon continues to improve and becomes an all pro.

I mean, yeah, that would be great.