NFL Draft 2022 Scouting Report: CB Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State

*CB grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, Wonderlic test results leaked, etc. We will update info as it becomes available. 

Our own Ross Jacobs posed a great question about my Zyon McCollum scouting study. He asked me, “How do you even scout a guy like this from the FCS level?” The implication being that all the tape would show is McCollum battling non-NFL…non-D1 WRs and QBs, and with his A+ measurables…he’ll likely toy with the opposition on tape – so, how can we draw any real conclusions?

It’s a great question, and a real issue. There’s a lot of useless tape to not even bother with for McCollum. But we do have a couple interesting things to look at, fortunately. We have his Senior Bowl week, which is a big help, and we have the FCS title game from last season…where Sam Houston (the champs) took on North Dakota State, and we got some McCollum vs. 1st-round prospect Christian Watson tape to help our cause.

The reason we very much care about digesting good tape study on McCollum is – he ‘broke’ my rating system with his NFL Combine performance.

There are a few ‘I’ve never seen anything like this’ prospects from this year’s Combine. Georgia DT Jordan Davis comes to mind (no one should move that fast at that size) among a few others, but the guy not as trumpeted for his stunning Combine (because the FCS isn’t greasing media palms like the SEC can) is Zyon McCollum’s 2022 Combine performance…

McCollum ran a 4.33 40-time at 6’2”+/199. Among cornerbacks in our database, over 800+ of them the past decade, the number of CB prospects who logged a sub-4.35 40-time at 6-foot or taller is = 15. But when you also narrow the group down to one who also posted a sub 6.7 three-cone to go with that…and there are three CBs – four if you count Deion Sanders’s hard-to-confirm times from 1989. McCollum, Patrick Peterson, and Stanford Routt (#38 pick of Oakland in 2005) are the confirmed/Combine three to his that mark.

McCollum’s 6.48 three-cone time is the 5th-best in our tracking history.

McCollum is one of 20 cornerbacks in our database to hit a 1.46 10-yard time or faster.

If you consider any of the above mentioned categories for CB prospects who hit these amazing times at a 6’0”+ size, then there’s usually only 1-2 names popping up in the search, and one is McCollum.

Simply stated, Zyon McCollum maybe the greatest ‘freak’ (measured) athlete at CB we’ve ever seen. That’s a good start to the scouting study. The question then is – can he play cornerback at a high level or is he just a workout wonder?

Well, to the answer that question I’ll lean a lot on his Senior Bowl week…now looking back with the knowledge that he’s a super-athlete. The entire Senior Bowl week, McCollum battled WRs in the 1-on-1s just fine…he looked like all the other good/great D1 prospects there. He wasn’t out of place. In fact, he stood out for his size and movement skills (but I didn’t know they were THAT impressive, like historical). He was no more or less raw/flawed in the 1-on-1 WR v. CB drills than any of the other top guys there. Add to that, McCollum entered the week a mystery, lesser-lauded FCS guy…but by week’s end had earned a starting CB role for the Senior Bowl game itself…from the Lions’ staff, who were giving opportunity a lot based on merits of the week and not Mel Kiper’s draft rankings.

In the Senior Bowl game itself, McCollum matched up on North Dakota State’s Christian Watson a few times…a familiar battle from the FCS title game. Watson is really good at his job…and so is McCollum. The two go at it like two heavyweights, and each gets there ‘wins’ on each other. From McCollum’s standpoint, he battled Watson well at the Senior Bowl and in their title game win.

On tape, McCollum is somewhat raw still…a great athlete tracking WRs with superior athleticism. He does need more coverage technique work against ‘real’ WRs, but he’s going to get that at the next level. It’s not like he’s ‘lacking’ or ‘bad’, as a prospect, just because of something out of his control. He should not be dinged too hard for taking on FCS WRs…it’s what he had to do, and he did it well. If McCollum learns his position better in the NFL training camps and practices, which is totally normal for a college-to-pro CB to have happen…then you’ll pair learned technique with A++++ athleticism with McCollum. You can have all Derek Stingley training and experience you want, but you can’t teach or train anyone into McCollum’s size and athleticism combo…it’s virtually unparalleled. Stingley is not going to get much better than a B-C grade corner. But if McCollum gains experience and technique, mixed with his size/athleticism…he could be an A/A+, franchise corner in a hurry…and it’s not a farfetched dream, he’s probably a ’B’ grade prospect walking into training camp as it is.

The added little bonus with McCollum is – he’s a strong style corner, a possible future All-Pro safety if desired. McCollum will play up in the run game and wipe you out if the situation calls for it. He will press-cover and fight with WRs…he’s not a finesse diva CB like Derek Stingley, among others.

McCollum has A+ tools, shows solid tape for his surroundings to date, and he’s tough…plus, he’s a quality character off the field. A team captain. A smart, pleasant, humble person that will be a guy coaches will enjoy in their interviews. *Side note: McCollum turned down a scholarship to Utah to stay closer to home and go to play with his twin brother at Sam Houston.

All that McCollum lacks is experience…tape of him on a bigger stage. That bias against him will have him fall in the draft, where he should probably be a top 10-15 pick overall, but he’ll be lucky to be a top 10 corner taken.  

Zyon McCollum, Through the Lens of Our CB Scouting Algorithm:

Because McCollum did play at the FCS level, looking over his coverage numbers, stats, etc., isn’t really going to be helpful or point-proving.

McCollum played five seasons at SH State (got the extra COVID year), and he picked off 13 passes in his career, returned two for TDs (including one against D1 Kansas), had 54 passes defended and 6 forced fumbles.

Voted onto various 1st-and-2nd-team all FCS postseason teams/awards.

Team captain in high school and in college, and an all-academic performer in high school.

2022 NFL Combine Measurables:

6’2.1”/199, 9.1” hands, 31” arms

4.33 40-time, 2.51 20-time, 1.46 10-time

3.94 shuttle, 6.48 three-cone

15 bench reps, 39.5” vertical, 11’0” broad jump

The Historical CB Prospects to Whom Zyon McCollum Most Compares Within Our System:

McCollum is a one of a kind. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is about as close as we can get to a physical match. DRC, Peterson, Gilmore, King all with performance metrics like McCollum. In the end, we show signs that McCollum could be better than everyone on this list.

*The ratings are based on a 1–10 rating scale, but a prospect can score over 10.0+ and less than 0.0

OVERALL RATING -- We merge the data from physical measurables, skill times/counts from the NFL Combine/Pro Days, with college performance data available on pass coverage/tackles, etc. and grade it compared to our database history of all college CBs, with a focus on which CBs went on to be good-great-elite in the NFL. We found characteristics/data points that the successful NFL CBs had in common in college, that most other CB prospects could not match/achieve.

Scoring with a rating over a 7.00+ in our system is where we start to take a CB prospect more seriously. Most of the future NFL successful college CBs scored 8.00+, and most of the NFL superior CBs pushed scores more in the 9.00+ levels...and future NFL busts will sneak in there from time to time. 10.00+ is where most of the elite NFL CBs tend to score in our system analysis.

COVERAGE -- A combination of on-field data/performance and physical profile data

SPEED -- Measurables from a perspective of straight-line speed, burst, etc.

AGILITY -- Measurables for lateral movements, quick cuts, body type, speed, etc. 

POWER -- A look at physical size, tackling productivity in college, other physical measurables. One of the side benefits/intentions here, is to see which CBs may be more of a model for a conversion to playing safety successfully in the NFL. Also denotes CBs who are more physical/will have higher tackle totals...over pure speed/coverage CBs.

2022 NFL Draft Outlook:

I checked three random draft rankings sites, and all of them have McCollum outside the top 100 and about the 12-15th ranked CB prospect in the 2022 draft class…which is ridiculous, but CBS Sports takes the cake – not even listed in their top 300 prospects overall. I gotta believe McCollum ends up a day two pick, he’s too much of a freak – the draft rankers are just biased against or blind to the FCS, which is weird because they suddenly LOVE FCS WR Christian Watson, because of his Senior Bowl + Combine…well, McCollum was just as good at the Senior Bowl + he had an AWESOME Combine, a more awesome Combine than Watson (who had a great one).

If I were an GM, I’d plan to take McCollum late 2nd-round. I’d plan my draft around making sure I took advantage of this sweet bargain.

NFL Outlook:   

Whatever round he’s drafted, it won’t matter – he’ll force his way into the line up in short order. He’s just too good not be playing right away, even if still raw. He has all the makings of a future star.

He might also get moved to safety to play right away for a team that needs it, and he’ll be great there too.