The third-round pick from Kansas State has exceptional speed, but he also plays big and packs a punch.
Bucs cornerback Jacob Parrish, left, breaks up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor during Saturday's preseason game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Bucs cornerback Jacob Parrish, left, breaks up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor during Saturday's preseason game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
PITTSBURGH — It wasn’t the two passes he batted away from receivers or the one tackle in 17 defensive snaps last week against Tennessee that popped out on film.
What got Bucs coaches excited about Jacob Parrish in the first preseason game was a play he didn’t make.
The 5-foot-10, 191-pound defensive back came downhill to support the run stop near the goal line and initiated a collision with a Titans offensive lineman so violent that it rippled through the Bucs sideline.
“He triggered and hit one of the linemen probably better than our linemen,” coach Todd Bowles said. “And I was like, ‘Whoa!’ And it was unknown, because I think the guy might have scored or fell in (the end zone). But he triggered and hit (an offensive) lineman, and he didn’t hesitate. He went, ‘Boom!’ Everybody saw that and said, ‘This guy is really something.’”
Parrish is not just a nickel cornerback, Bowles said. He’s a “top-flight corner” who can play outside or inside, and he’ll see some time at that position during Saturday night’s preseason game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
“He’s a hell of a football player,” Bowles said.
![Third-round pick Jacob Parrish, shown warming up before Saturday's preseason game against the Titans, is a “top-flight corner” who can play outside or inside, head coach Todd Bowles said.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E)
Third-round pick Jacob Parrish, shown warming up before Saturday's preseason game against the Titans, is a “top-flight corner” who can play outside or inside, head coach Todd Bowles said.
Officially, Parrish allowed three catches for 30 yards on five targets and had the two pass breakups against the Titans. But the test was how big he would play in his first NFL game. The third-round pick from Kansas State is proving to be one of the Bucs’ real steals in the draft.
“He’s that guy,” Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Ronde Barber said. “Not a prototypical Bucs corner, but he’s looking like a stud. He’s only 5-10 but not small. And he plays much bigger because of his athleticism and ridiculous track speed.”
If Parrish has trouble staying grounded as a rookie, it’s because he can fly. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds. But he’s more physical than you would expect, until you realize he was a wrestler in high school.
“I take pride in being physical," Parrish said. “I like to hit, all that type of thing, so I’m going to go with my physicality.”
The Bucs also used a second-round pick on Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who has missed practice this week with a leg injury. Parrish’s versatility will allow Bowles to mix and match, and disguise his defense.
“I thought he did a good job, especially out at the corner spot,” Bowles said. “In the nickel spot, we had help going inside that he got leveraged out once or twice. But I thought he did a very good job from that standpoint. and the preseason’s going to be great for him. I look forward to him having a heck of a season this year.”
![Jacob Parrish, shown during training camp last month in Tampa, has 4.35-speed in the 40-yard dash and is quickly developing a reputation as a hitter with the Bucs. “I take pride in being physical," he said.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 413"/%3E)
Jacob Parrish, shown during training camp last month in Tampa, has 4.35-speed in the 40-yard dash and is quickly developing a reputation as a hitter with the Bucs. “I take pride in being physical," he said.
On his first target against the Titans, Parrish batted down a pass intended for Van Jefferson. On the second one, Elic Ayomanor appeared to have a step or two on a corner route. But Parrish used his exceptional speed, closing fast and arriving at the same time of the football.
“It boosted my confidence,” Parrish said. “It was really a quick game, seeing the quarterback and making a play on the ball. ... I will continue to work on my mistakes during the game — and that is part of the game, going back through the tape — and get ready for next week.”
Bowles loves to move his defensive players around like chess pieces, creating mismatches.
He said Parrish’s ability to play both inside and outside should allow the Bucs to have a player such as Zyon McCollum shadow a receiver from sideline to sideline.
“We know Zyon can go inside as well, and we can match up without substituting and that will be a new wrinkle,” Bowles said. “We’ve got two nickels in the game, and if we want to match up we don’t care where they line up at we should be OK. That really helps us.”
In Thursday’s joint practice with the Steelers, Parrish demonstrated his versatility and skill. He was able to be physical with hulking receiver DK Metcalf but still get in and out of breaks with a small, quick receiver such as Scotty Miller.
“I’m confident in myself when playing man coverage, and I work on it every day and I feel like it’s going to allow me to be successful,” Parrish said. “The perimeter, too, I would say I’m physical. Being able to get my hands on receivers and being able to be in a run fit, whether we’re playing man or we’re playing zone, I would say I’m very confident doing that.”
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