The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense has surprised everyone with how good they’ve been and their ability to call on young players to step up and make an impact despite having a slew of injuries.
Cornerback Zyon McCollum has been one of the early surprises and playmakers of the season.
McCollum was called on at the beginning of this year to take a bigger step as a player and he’s come such a long way since being a rookie in 2022.
With Carlton Davis III being traded away, higher expectations were put on McCollum and he shared the key to the growth he’s shown since being a rookie:
“My rookie year, trying to jump routes, I was always scared, I was always fearful,” said McCollum. “I didn’t necessarily trust myself. Now that I know I have the coaches’ trust and I have my teammates’ trust and I’m starting to trust myself, I can really know what I see from film. When I see it out there in the game, I just go for it.”
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His trust in the team is starting to pay off as he recorded his first career NFL interception against the Detroit Lions and is continuing to make strides as a playmaker on this Bucs defense.