Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Kansas State cornerback with third-round pick

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't go defense with its first pick, but they've made up for it with their next two.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Kansas State corner Jacob Parrish in the third round of the NFL Draft, one round after selecting Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison. Parrish is 5'9", so he'd likely fit into a nickel cornerback role where Tykee Smith current plays — should Smith transfer to safety, Parrish could fit right in at nickel.

Parrish is another "ballhawk" Todd Bowles has been wanting. Parrish has nabbed five interceptions in his career and defended 23 passes across his career. He dazzled at the NFL Combine with a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash and netted 50 tackles (two for loss), eight pass breakups and an interception in his last season with the Wildcats.

Here's what BucsGameday writer JC Allen had to say about Parrish in his pre-draft scouting report:

"Parrish has excellent footwork at the line to slow down press and at the top of the route to redirect receivers. He displays fluid hips, excellent body control, short-area quickness and twitch to change direction suddenly. Despite his height, his frame is well built and he doesn't shy away from physicality in press coverage and the run game. He shows good anticipation to jump lanes, processes complex route combinations quickly and has the closing burst to challenge the catch point. Despite that, he doesn't have the ideal height for an outside corner and will struggle with bigger receivers and in the red zone, can be susceptible to double moves and can get caught peeking in the backfield too frequently in zone."

If Tykee Smith moves to safety like many believe, Parrish will slot in as a nickel corner. With Morrison joining him in the secondary, Tampa Bay will have a new look on defense in 2025.