T.J. Tampa 2024 NFL Draft: Combine Results, Scouting Report For Iowa State CB

Iowa State Cyclones' defensive back T.J. Tampa (2) warms up during the university's Spring Football game at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.

NFL TRANSITION

Tampa is one of the better corner prospects in the 2024 draft class with his desirable combination of size, length and movement traits. Tampa played significant snaps of press man coverage and off coverage man and zone.

He was strong in all concepts with an easy fluidity to his movement, loose hips, and smooth transition and change of direction. While Tampa was not purely sudden and explosive, he had excellent overall movement skills with the scheme flexibility to play in all coverages.

He was especially intriguing as a press man corner, where he showed mirror match traits and physical traits with forceful hams to disrupt receivers' releases. Tampa’s size and length at times resulted in his pedal being too upright, which occasionally caused him to lose contact with the receiver at the top of the route stem and slowed his transition and reaction to quick-breaking routes.

Tampa, while lacking ideal top-end speed, was able to carry vertical routes with his strength length and ability to stay in phase through the route, not losing his technique. Overall, Tampa is a higher-level corner prospect with the size, length and athleticism to play on the outside at the next level and match up to the bigger receivers in the NFL. There is no question Tampa can line up as the boundary corner and play man coverage.

OTHER NOTES

Tampa started all 24 games in his final two seasons at Iowa State and was a Third-Team All-American in 2023. He came out of St. Petersburg, Florida, as a three-star recruit who played defensive back and wide receiver in high school and also played basketball.

Tampa was predominantly the right corner in the Iowa State defense, but there were snaps at the left corner throughout the 2023 season. Tampa played both to the boundary and the field, but he played more snaps at the boundary corner as the season progressed.

Tampa made two interceptions in 2023, with the one versus Oklahoma State coming in man coverage on a shallow crosser and the one versus Cincinnati coming in zone coverage reading the quarterback.