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Zyon McCollum of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts after an interception during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Raymond James Stadium on December 8, 2024.
Emeka Egbuka has already wowed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But he’s not the only rookie player that has been impressive thus far.
Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht cited the team’s slew of young cornerbacks as rookies that have been impressive aside from Egbuka, who the Bucs chose with the 19th overall pick from Ohio State.
Licht may be biased since he drafted both cornerbacks Jason Morrison and Jacob Parrish in the second and third round — then signed undrafted free agent cornerback Roman Parodie.
But the fact Licht is openly comparing his cornerbacks to Egbuka, who was the second full-time wideout selected behind Tetairoa McMillan of Arizona, speaks to just how excited the organization is about its defensive secondary.
What Did Jason Licht Say About The Bucs’ Rookie Cornerbacks?
The Bucs have made the playoffs in each of the past five seasons and should be considered one of the frontrunners to win the NFC South — and potentially challenge for the conference title, if things break right.
“I think we have a very-sneaky, very-talented young team,” Licht told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times on the “Sports Day Tampa Bay” podcast recently. “I’m very, very excited about this team.”
So Licht had better hope his rookie corners are good, because they are going to be playing in 2025. By all accounts, he is extremely high on those guys.
“They’ve been as amazing as what we talk about Emeka,” Licht said. “Those guys have been equally as impressive. It’s been fun to watch. I mean, I don’t want to already stamp them as [stars], but we feel very, very good about them helping us out a lot this year.”
Neither Parrish nor Morrison is listed by Pro-Football Focus as a starting cornerbacks for Tampa Bay. But between Zyon McCollum’s development, the two drafted corners, plus Jamel Dean and Tykee Smith — who is each highly rated by PFF — the Bucs have an embarrassment of riches on the outside.
“Zyon’s having an amazing offseason as well,” Licht said. “Very few teams, I think, have three young corners with that much talent right now.”
What Did Jason Licht Say About Emeka Egbuka?
Though Licht lauded his team’s defensive players, many Buccaneers fans are more intrigued to hear how their potential future franchise wideout is faring.
According to the GM, and coach Todd Bowles, the rookie has been great.
“Todd’s come out and talked about how smart [Emeka] is; ‘Plug him in any of the positions in wide receiver, we’re good,’” Licht said.
There was some angst about the Buccaneers selecting a wide receiver, since they have veteran stalwarts Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, plus tight end Cade Otton emerged. Yet, Licht felt with Egbuka still available, he needed to choose him.
“We didn’t take him because we felt we have to take a receiver,” Licht said. “I think he was a little bit more explosive than I was giving him credit for too — just now seeing him live every day. I’m very, very excited.”
Fans were hoping the team would choose an inside linebacker — potentially Jihaad Campbell, the second-ranked inside LB who ended up with the Eagles — to eventually replace older stalwart Lavonte David.
But Licht and his fellow Bucs decision makers are good with the team’s linebacker corps.
“We feel a lot better about our inside-linebacker position than it seems externally,” Licht said. “Lavonte is still going to have a great year. … We like our options.”
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
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