HEIGHT: 6'1"

WEIGHT: 189

HAND: 9⅝"

ARM: 32⅛"

WINGSPAN: 78⅝"

40-YARD DASH: TBD

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: TBD

BROAD: TBD

POSITIVES

— Has great size and length for the cornerback position. Has long arms and a thick frame with good functional strength.

— Loose hips to flip and run in press coverage. Does a very good job of sinking his hips and transitioning for his size. Has a very good burst out of his break and is able to accelerate quickly within a few steps.

— Plays with good positioning throughout the route. Uses his hands well to disrupt receivers and is able to get into the hip pocket.

— Good ball skills to judge trajectory and plays ball in the air with the necessary timing. Able to quickly close on the ball while in flight.

NEGATIVES

— Can be lazy with his pad level at times, leading to him getting stuck and struggling to quickly change direction.

— Good physicality when tackling but doesn't always wrap up and secure the tackle.

— Gambler who tends to take unnecessary risks on the ball, allowing bigger plays to come from what should be routine catches and tackles.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 44 TOT, 3.0 TFL, 2 INT, 7 PD

NOTES

— Born March 13, 2002

— 3-star prospect in 2020 class, per 247Sports

— 30 career starts

— 2022: Second-team All-Big-12 (Coaches)

OVERALL

T.J. Tampa is one of the top cornerback prospects in the 2024 draft class. The long-limbed athlete has great length and size for the cornerback position and was a second-team All-Big 12 selection by the conference's coaches in 2022.

As a bigger cornerback, Tampa shows great movement skills. He has the scheme flexibility to play in both man and zone coverages. When playing in man coverage, he often plays press, where he shows the ability to move his feet laterally to match releases and uses his length to disrupt receivers as they work downfield.

Tampa quickly gets into phase and does a very good job of sinking his hips to transition. He plays a bit too high at times, which causes him to be slower out of his breaks, but he generally he does a great job of bursting out of his breaks and driving on the ball.

When playing the ball, he has very good timing to play through the receiver's hands and has the ball skills to track and play the ball in the air. When in zone coverage, he does a great job of splitting his threats as well as anticipating potential threats coming into his zones.

When defending the run, Tampa uses his size to his advantage. As a bigger cornerback, he looks to deliver a big hit whenever he can, though there are times where he doesn't wrap up and allows extra yards. In the open field, he is generally a secure tackler and does a good job of getting the ball-carrier on the ground. Tampa does a great job of triggering to what he sees and using his physicality to take on and defeat blocks with the proper leverage.

Tampa has the size and playing style that NFL teams are looking for. Whether it's how he defends the run with his physicality and strength or how he uses his length in coverage, Tampa has a lot of upside. He will need to shore up his tackling and play with more consistent pad level, but it will not be surprising if he is selected early on Day 2 and works his way onto the field early in his NFL career.

GRADE: 7.4 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 44

POSITION RANK: CB7

PRO COMPARISON: Ifeatu Melifonwu

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

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