Jacob Parrish Already A Starter?
April 29th, 2025
Bucs rookie third-round pick cornerback Jacob Parrish.
Yesterday Joe brought word from CBS NFL columnist and analyst prickly Pete Prisco, who gave the Bucs an “A” grade for last week’s draft haul.
And, Prisco said it is time to put Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht on a pedestal of the top general managers in the league.
Most people would suggest Emeka Egbuka was the Bucs’ best rookie. He’s a first-round pick who was one of the top college receivers and is coming off a national championship.
Not Prisco!
In fact, Prisco believes the Bucs’ selection in the third round, Kansas State corner Jacob Parrish, was Licht’s top selection.
Best Pick: Third-round corner Jacob Parrish should be able to push for time as the nickel corner right away. He played outside in college, but he has the look of a good nickel on the next level.
Well, if what Prisco types is on target, that means secod-year defensive back Tykee Smith will then get moved to safety as he requested.
Look, Joe doesn’t know what head coach Todd Bowles will do at safety. Will it be Christian Izien? Will it be someone who isn’t yet on the roster? Will it be Smith?
Who plays safety alongside Antoine Winfield will be a huge question as underwear football season nears next month.
One of my favorite watches has been Kansas State CB Jacob Parrish (10)
-fearless, strong, & sound tackler
-comfortable & effective in press
-twitchy + good change of direction
-inside outside versatility
-speed & explosion testing shows on tape— Anthony Cover 1 (@Pro__Ant) April 15, 2025
April 29th, 2025 at 9:14 am
Yep, Morrison gonna take Deans spot and Parrish taking Izen spot, Really interested to see what Shilo can do, man I watched his film and didn’t realize he was such a big hitter, seems like the guy puts his shoulder pads on the ball every time he hits
April 29th, 2025 at 9:14 am
So fearless he chooses to let his mouthpiece dangle on virtually every play? One teeth chattering hit at the pro-level will change that habit real quick. You can never have too many young corners on rookie contracts. Keep the cheap talent rolling down the conveyor belt Jason, you’re doing a fantastic job!
April 29th, 2025 at 9:19 am
Its gotten to the point where you just expect all the draft picks to work out. Feel like it helps having Bowles to lean on the defensive side and also all his previous coaching connections. You definitely wont have that with a coen or that panther coach or grizzard.
April 29th, 2025 at 9:24 am
At Safety? Well, of course, it is going to be Shilo!
April 29th, 2025 at 9:27 am
I like JP having a wrestling background, those dude’s are usually tough as nails. Toughness was not a strong point in the cornerback room last season.
Dean is soft.
April 29th, 2025 at 9:33 am
Dean is a great tackler but inevitably he will get hurt and then these rookies need to be ready to step up. And then we will see if Dean can get back on the field after that. There will be some strong competition this year in camp
April 29th, 2025 at 9:39 am
Bye Bye Dean 12.5 million to watch him breakdown all season long with injuries. No thank you. I give Dean 2 or 3 weeks into the regular season and he will be hurt.
April 29th, 2025 at 9:46 am
Bowles is the DB whisperer, Tykee smith was good at slit however he didn’t seem to have deep speed
April 29th, 2025 at 9:57 am
I feel like Jason Licht hit it out of the park again with this draft. I did think we needed to add more depth at linebacker to learn behind Lavonte David, though. Honestly, I was convinced we were going to land Bassa until the Chiefs traded up—but who knows, that might end up being a blessing in disguise. Getting Elijah there instead could turn out to be a steal. He’s a solid football player in his own right, even if I personally preferred Bassa.
As for safety, I truly believe there’s a *great* chance Shilo Sanders makes the final roster. The depth at that position is incredibly thin right now, and based on what he brings to the table—physicality, instincts, and energy—it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t at least back up Tykee Smith and Antoine Winfield Jr. He’s got a real shot to contribute.
As far as Parrish wrestling translates extremely well to football—arguably better than most other sports in my opinion. One of the key fundamentals it teaches is *leverage*, which is essential on the football field, especially in the trenches could also see how as a smaller corner this would help exponentially. Understanding how to manipulate your opponent’s body position, maintain balance, and control angles gives players a real edge.
And let’s be honest—anyone who’s ever wrestled knows you run *a lot*. In fact, I’ve never run more in my life than during a wrestling season. It’s an intense combination of strength, endurance, and mental toughness. You become a workout warrior by necessity. Wrestling builds raw physicality and teaches you how to impose your will on an opponent—traits that directly carry over to football.
April 29th, 2025 at 10:11 am
I believe it is bye-bye Hayes. If Tykee does indeed move back to safety, Parrish will certainly push Izien to take over the slot DB. However, with his speed, fearlessness and sure tackling he will make an ideal gunner on punt coverage.
April 29th, 2025 at 10:14 am
It seems like we finally are building nice depth with solid promising backups.
April 29th, 2025 at 10:25 am
Definitely think he will work his way in, especially on dime packages. Not sure if I like moving Tykee Smith out of Nickel. Who knows what he has shown behind the scenes.
April 29th, 2025 at 10:25 am
As long as the scheme allows him to play like this…. the 7-yard off coverage BS needs to stop. We have all the talent in the world, the coverage scheme and lack of a rush causes us to get picked apart
April 29th, 2025 at 10:36 am
Competition
April 29th, 2025 at 10:36 am
Coen brought us the best player last year, he has connections because he was just there.
It sounds great but isn’t based on reality.
We just used that same Coen connection for Tez.
April 29th, 2025 at 10:42 am
It was clear the moment that Parrish was drafted that the Bucs planned on both Smith and Izen being in the competition for SS. Smith will most likely take that spot and Izen might be the 3rd safety and as well backup nickleback.
April 29th, 2025 at 10:50 am
I’m guessing Izien is the super sub. If a safety/NCB goes down, he’s in. If Bowles wants to go into a nickle/dime hybrid, he comes in as well, replacing a LB.
April 29th, 2025 at 10:51 am
Deff one thing I’m not worried about is Bowles and his staff developing the young CBs. They’ve done a fine job. Now if they can develop some of these pass rushers then we will be gaining some traction
April 29th, 2025 at 10:52 am
I would bet that Dean does NOT get a significant injury this year.
April 29th, 2025 at 10:59 am
I think Morrison will eventually take Dean’s CB spot but not until he is injured. As for trading or cutting Dean – no way. If the Bucs want to make a run for the Super Bowl, they’ll need to be deep at every position possible.
April 29th, 2025 at 11:47 am
A 4.3 nickle?
5-9? Perfect! He can cover shifty slot receivers.
But he’s still fast enough to play outside CB too!
So we got a starter at nickel, and backup at outside!
Izien is our super backup. He can play safety, nickle and for me?
He was actually better at outside CB than Hayes or Funkmaster.
And to be honest?
If Winfield sucks again, Izien can replace him and I don’t think we will miss a beat!
Izien is a baller!
He’s always making plays and big hits!
Izien is a glue guy!
April 29th, 2025 at 12:08 pm
I’m a bit torn about Shilo. On one hand I always favor guys who are second generation. They’ve grown up around the game and are not awed in any way.
Neon Deion has obviously raised his kids well as far as football.
However I never really like the “Neon” part of Deion and he was such a GREAT cover corner that he played flag football the rest of the time.
Shilo seems very comfortable out of the spotlight unlike his father and brother. Perhaps Tampa is the very best fit for him.
As for Parrish he clearly is a different player than Dean who also has a tendency towards “flag football” but has good cover skills. Parrish isn’t affraid to stick his nose in there to fill holes. That one play he looked more like an LB plugging the hole. I LOVE fearless DB’s.
April 29th, 2025 at 12:44 pm
Izien is a solid back up who can play Nickle, and safety. He also was undrafted for a reason. Jacob is a 3rd round pick who should win the slot spot. Smith will get his shot to line up at safety. If our second round pick is ready, Dean becomes a good vet to have on the bench. That would give us three new starters in the secondary. We added a good edge prospect who at 25 is a full grown man ready to go. He’ll be in there Braz, Ya, Reddick. We also got an edge who can slide inside adding to his value. We also got a top receiver, and a little joy stick to spice up the offense. This is going to be fun. Licht, and company did very well.