2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: TJ Tampa, CB, Iowa St
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: TJ Tampa, a cornerback out of Iowa State. He is from St. Petersburg, Florida, and was not recruited from Lakewood High School.
Tampa appeared in only 4 games as a freshman at Iowas State. In that limited playing time, he accumulated 3 solo tackles, 2 assists, and 1 tackle for loss. It was far from a breakout campaign, most of his value came in the special teams game.
As a sophomore in 2021, he appeared in 9 games and made a marginal impact on the defensive side of the ball where he totaled 17 solo tackles, 1 assist, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 3 passes defended.
His junior season of 2021 saw his breakout arrive. He finally made an impact on defense when he appeared in 12 games. During his first full-time action, he racked up 30 solo tackles, 10 assists, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 7 passes defended.
In 2023 as a senior, he improved his production even further. He piled up 33 solo tackles, 11 assists, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions and 7 passes defended.
Measurables
Height: 6’2” (92nd-percentile)
Weight: 200 lbs (79th-percentile)
Age: 21.1
Class: Senior
NCAA Statistics
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2020 | Iowa State | Big 12 | FR | UT | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2021 | Iowa State | Big 12 | SO | DB | 9 | 17 | 1 | 18 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | Iowa State | Big 12 | JR | 12 | 30 | 10 | 40 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| *2023 | Iowa State | Big 12 | SR | DB | 12 | 33 | 11 | 44 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Iowa State | 83 | 24 | 107 | 9.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- Has great size and strength for a cornerback and plays even bigger than he is.
- Quick acceleration and great lateral agility allow him to be very versatile.
- Excellent positioning and ball skills in all areas of the field.
- Is versatile enough to play in any defensive scheme and has a great ability to read the play due to his history of playing both sides of the ball.
Weaknesses
- Has an inconsistent pad level and often struggles to get into the right position.
- He often misses open-field tackles and needs to work on his overall tackling technique.
- Is aggressive in his play style and often leaves himself vulnerable to the big play.
- Needs to refine his hand-fighting techniques while tracking the deep ball.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Mid-to-Late 2nd Round
Ideal Landing Spot: Detroit Lions
If you’re a high-end cornerback, Detroit is where I want you to land. The Lions are starved for a talented young corner and Tampa could be the perfect fit. Add in the fact that he can be drafted on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft and he is an even better fit for the Lions.
Tampa would be a great fit for any team that needs a big, strong corner and wants to spend a second-round pick on it. He has limitless potential and could prove a great selection.
