Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish both landed inside the top 20 of Pro Football Network’s Cornerback Impact Rankings. McCollum comes in at 16th, while Parrish sits just a few spots behind him at 19th. For Tampa Bay, seeing both players that high is an encouraging sign for a cornerback room that entered the season with some questions.McCollum has developed into one of the more important pieces of the Buccaneers' secondary over the last few seasons. Tampa Bay has continued to put plenty on his plate in Todd Bowles’ defense, including difficult coverage assignments and playing in a scheme that is not afraid to leave its cornerbacks on an island. His 16th-place finish gives the Bucs another early indication that he is handling that responsibility
well.
Parrish being right behind him might be even more interesting. The second-year cornerback flashed as a rookie and entered this season looking to establish himself as an even bigger part of the defense. Landing 19th in PFN’s rankings puts him among some impressive company early in the season and continues what has been a promising start to his career. The sample size is still small, which is important when looking at any rankings this early in the year. One strong or poor performance can cause a significant shift, and both McCollum and Parrish will have to sustain their play as the season progresses. Still, having two cornerbacks inside the top 20 is a positive development for Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers have invested heavily in rebuilding the speed and athleticism of their defense over the last few drafts. Parrish has quickly become part of that movement, while McCollum has continued developing from a fifth-round pick into a player Tampa Bay trusts with a major role. There is plenty of football left before these rankings begin to carry more weight, but McCollum sitting 16th and Parrish at 19th gives the Bucs an encouraging early look at what their young cornerback duo could become.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Two Bucs rank top 20 in cornerback impact
