Speedy rookie Jacob Parrish exceeded expectations, making an instant impact in Tampa Bay's secondary and positioning himself for a potential starting role.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went into Day 2 of the 2025 NFL draft knowing they needed to bolster their secondary.
Only three teams gave up more passing yards than Tampa Bay in 2024, so something had to be done.
The Bucs used the first round to focus on offense, choosing receiver Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State as another weapon for Baker Mayfield.
Then, defense became the name of the game.
In the second round, Tampa took Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison. In the next round, the Bucs stayed at DB, drafting Kansas State's Jacob Parrish.
Parrish, who was an honorable mention All-Big 12 performer in 2023, impressed the Bucs with his speed (he ran a 4.35 at the NFL combine), versatility (he can play both nickel and outside corner) and physical style of play.
Bucs Roundtable will take a look at where each 2025 Bucs draft pick stands after their rookie season, starting with their seventh-round pick and working down. Previous features in the series included profiles of receiver Tez Johnson, defensive tackle Elijah Roberts, linebacker David Walker.
An Instant Contributor
The Bucs expected their third-round pick to help the team right away, and they weren't disappointed. The second youngest player on the Bucs ended up playing the second most snaps of any Tampa corner, and the 21-year-old held his own. Parrish ended the year with 76 tackles (50 solo), seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two picks, seven pass deflections and a recovered fumble. Pro Football Focus liked him, too, giving him the fifth-highest grade among all of Tampa's defenders. Parrish was also Tampa's top run defender per PFF, with a 78.5 grade over 217 run defense snaps.
One thing Parrish will need to work on going into Year 2 is his tackling. He tied for second on the team with 14 missed tackles and got a 45.5 grade per PFF.
CB1?
So could Parrish be Tampa's top corner as early as next year? It's certainly possible. Parrish will turn 22 at the end of the month (well, technically, he won't, since he was born Feb. 29 and this is not a leap year), so there's plenty of upside, and one could argue he's already the team's second-best CB behind Jamel Dean. Dean will be an unrestricted free agent in March, and there's a real chance the Bucs don't keep him.
Considering Tampa just took two corners in last year's draft and has bigger fish to fry in free agency, there's a good chance Tampa enters training camp with Parrish as CB one, and a good chance that he keeps improving as Tampa looks to reclaim the NFC South.
ㅤ
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!