BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Iowa State’s T.J. Tampa is one of the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft class.
Tampa was a standout wide receiver in high school but switched to defensive back in college. He has a lot of potential as a prospect.
“Being that I just started playing I have a lot of growth to do while I’m in the NFL,” Tampa said.
The adjustment to playing defense took some time, but he was a full-time starter the last two seasons and was a first-team All-Big XII selection in 2023. He had 107 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss during his career.
“I would say it just has to do with all-out effort and pursuit to the ball which we take seriously at Iowa State,” Tampa said on what makes him such a great tackler.
He’s got the ideal size for an NFL defensive back and during college, he showed the ability to play in different defensive schemes.
“I feel like it gives me a great advantage just being able to play different coverages and getting a lot of reps at it and seeing it on film so I feel like it will help me a lot,” Tampa said.
Tampa is projected to be a second or third-round draft pick.
Josh Reed is an award-winning journalist who has served as News 4’s Sports Director since 2015. See more here.