Rookie Profile: TJ Tampa, Cornerback, Baltimore Ravens
Welcome to the Rookie Profile for 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
Draft Capital & Landing Spot
Draft Capital- Round 4 Pick 130
- TJ Tampa was thought to be a pretty solid cornerback in the higher range of this rookie class, but with so many talented corners, he was the one who slipped into the fourth round. This could prove to be a loaded class of corners that allowed a talented player like Tampa to slide into the realm of excellent value, or he could be nothing more than a backup. The jury is still out.
- Round four draft capital isn’t terrible, but most experts projected Tampa to be selected on day two of the draft.
Landing Spot- Baltimore Ravens
- The Baltimore Ravens are one of those organizations that build things the right way. While day three draft capital is less than ideal, a landing spot with the Ravens allows for hope. Baltimore is renowned for bringing along high-end defensive prospects and turning them into absolute studs and this could be a prime example of a star prospect who fell in the draft and was allowed to blossom in Baltimore.
Team Depth Chart
Expected Role: Rotational Cornerback
Depth Chart via Fantasy Pros
Fantasy Impact
I’m taking a wait-and-see approach with TJ Tampa. While the draft capital isn’t enough to damn him, it isn’t a resounding vote of confidence. His landing spot in Baltimore is encouraging but is much more of a long-term play. The Ravens tend to bring prospects along slowly but they do it properly.
Ultimately, it may be some time before Tampa finds his way into solid playing time, but when he does he should produce at a high level. As of now, he is a great taxi squad stash but is going to require patience to bring a solid return on investment.
Check out our 2024 Rookie Rankings Page for a full breakdown of this rookie class.
