The Daily Draft – T.J. Tampa Scouting Report

On today’s Daily Draft, join Ross Uglem as he breaks down his scouting report of T.J. Tampa, and reviews what he could bring to the Packers. Enjoy!

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What’s up Packers fans and welcome back to another episode of The Daily draft brought to you by Badger State brewing in Green Bay Wisconsin today we are talking cornerbacks a key need for the Packers with Eric Stokes injury situation kind of being up in the air kesan Nixon being a free agent Jer

Alexander not being able to stay healthy it’s it’s something that Green Bay looks you know needs to look into and I love Carrington Valentine I think he’s you know already returned amazing amazing value for a seventh round pick I also don’t know that you’re making long-term decisions for your franchise based on

Carrington Valentine okay I don’t know that you wouldn’t go grab a corner just because you know you feel like you might have something in Valentine be much more uh excited about kind of throwing him into a competition even if you think he’s really a third or a fourth round

Talent instead of in the seventh where they got him he’s producing like a third or a fourth round Talent I’m not making long-term decisions based on Carrington Valentine one of the reasons I bring up Carrington Valentine is he has excellent length just like the topic of today’s

Show Iowa State cornerback TJ Tampa it’s the number one thing that you’ll notice um Tampa has that length and especially if you’re going to be trying to play some cover three trying to play some cover one trying to press man he’s thick he’s long and he’s thick

61 um 198 honestly he he looks like a safety okay I think um probably tried to to to um thin out a little bit to for testing purposes I think he played over 200 pounds at TJ or excuse me at Iowa State or at least he he sure l i mean to

Me he looks like a safety okay that that’s one of the things I wrote in my notes he looks like a safety to me who plays Corner that doesn’t mean like he he moves like a safety because he doesn’t but he looks to me like a safety

Playing quarterback and I only mean that as a compliment like he is a thick dude um he’s a well bu built guy but but also I mean when when he lines up against um you know big these big 12 wide receivers he’s a he’s a large man right’s he’s not

Necessarily lining up against the guys that are 6’4 65 and looking big but a lot of these you know guys at Texas like worthy um a lot of the guys of Kansas State and and you know he he’s long okay that’s what I’ll go with that I think he

Play man I think he play press man um I think he sinks his hips well uh and can get in kind of that trail position in man and Trail doesn’t mean you get beat it just means you’re you’re in in in the spot and where you’re supposed to be um

And I think that that happens without wasted movement which is which is a key uh for me when you um you know kind of transition from okay I’m pressing I’m pressing and now I’m flipping my hips and I’m and I’m I’m I’m going with you now I got my back to the quarterback

Instead of my my eyes on the quarterback like in zone he he he makes that transition well and uh you know not a lot of chopping not a lot of slipping I think he’s pretty darn good at that uh 167 and I hope people have a little bit

Of perspective uh for what this number means but 167 of his 411 snaps at quarterback this year uh in coverage were press and that’s a high you know a lot of lot of second long third long um a lot of Zone calls like there are just times that your coordinator doesn’t want

You to press TJ Tampa pressing for almost half 167 is quite half of of 411 but I mean it’s it’s a high percentage right of of uh times that that he went up there and played press and if that’s something that you want these Green Bay

Corners to be able to do and I don’t mean you the fan like I know fans love press coverage but I really mean like you Jeff Halley you Ryan downard you know the the new uh Packers defensive coaching regime if they’re looking for a press man guy I think TJ Tampa uh is

Definitely definitely on the list right um he’s an explosive Athlete on film and a linear way and I mean that like his acceleration his start stop is super impressive um from just a number perspective I’m I’m very impressed with um a 54.8 passer rating against uh and how

Does that happen well you only allow 51% of the balls thrown your way to be completed um and then you pick off two of them okay that’s that’s that’s a big one and you’re not allowing a ton of yardage I mean um Tampa got got targeted

49 times and only gave up 240 yards so uh very much a a lock down type of guy as opposed to a gambling type of guy just depends on your you know you looking for ball production or you looking to take away the other team’s best option are you looking to take away

The other team’s second best option are you looking for your Corners to consistently be where they’re supposed to be or you’re looking for their your Corners to get their hands on the football um there’s not necessarily one way of doing it that’s that’s better but I tend to and I’ve talked about this

Before when when talking about other defensive backs I tend to Value the ability to take away someone’s you know be be where you’re supposed to be Force incompletions um and attempt to take away other teams top options I think you know the gambling types the guys that

Get their hand on the ball they’re great it’s it’s fun to have them at safety at corner though what the Packers did the Cowboys is kind of what happens to gambling corners things go bad um you saw Gilmore and Bland Bland specifically get his hands on a ton of balls and then

When he didn’t he was cooked and and Trayvon Diggs is the exact same way for Dallas like if he doesn’t get his hand on the ball he gets cooked and um that’s definitely not the kind of player that that TJ Tampa is um decent ball production I’m not going to say great uh

16 passes batted down in the last two years a force fumble and three picks not necessarily on the level of you know like some some Corners the ones that are really good but it’s good enough for a guy that we’re sort of classifying in this press man

Shutdown role as opposed to um super playmaker ball production type role that that ball production is is sort of adequate um I mentioned the length I mentioned being able to play a deep third in cover three I mentioned being able to um not necessarily get beat over

The top in cover one he doesn’t really get beat get beat deep um in the last three years he spent 926 snaps in coverage 19 balls went for 15 or more yards 19 so that’s an extremely low percentage uh when you when you think about how often this kid

Was on the field for Iowa State and by the way Big 12 is a passing League folks that Ball’s going up okay and so for him to only you know allow 19 big plays over 15 yards in three years as a starter that’s impressive to me and uh something

That I definitely uh noted he he’s uh I think a a player that that tracks the ball well high points it well doesn’t always catch it super well but he uses his length and to me that screams cover three right you’re talking about like the Richard Sherman archetype and he’s

Certainly not the height of a Richard Sherman I don’t even think he has the arm length of a Richard Sherman but when I watch him I’m thinking boy he could play some cover three and he could play press man I I just think like if he’s

Your second best if he kind of reaches his 60th or 70th percentile outcome so not like you know if everything goes perfectly for him but if he if he just has a good development track in the NFL I think he’d be a great number two corner and

And I think that has more value than people might think you think like I might burn a second round pick on TJ Tampa I kind of hope you can be a number one corner I don’t care if you can be a very very good number two when you have

A guy like gy Alexander um I’m for that especially to the way and and we’ll talk about this in the fit the way he would kind of fit in with the secondary uh I think is is interesting he’s a big physical Corner as I mentioned he’s

Almost a safety size he is a plus in the Run game my opinion I don’t I don’t watch a ton of run snaps because it’s it’s it’s not the um I shouldn’t say I watch the whole game but I don’t focus in a ton on the rundowns just because

That is not what Corners get paid for in the NFL even cover two corners aren’t getting paid for that like they it’s it’s appreciated right when it’s done well um if you have a quarterback especially a nickel I I don’t think Tampa’s a n at all but especially if you

Have a nickel who can who can tackle who can really fill against a run that’s a big deal um but Tampa’s a plus I think uh and he’s he’s experienced player for a guy um you know who has played as much as he has he’s got 30 starts and he’s

Only 21 as of this video right now so that’s something um and again they seen every passing Concept in the world dealing with some of the air raid stuff and some of the pro style stuff that that goes through uh the Big 12 for sure he really struggled down the stretch

We’re going to get into some of the the or some of the things that you know would would be concerns or why is Tj Tampa not you know a top 10 pick well here here are some of the things that um I’d like to see improver or concerns

That I see um on his tape and potentially with his athletic profile I really struggled down the stretch in 2023 I I thought his last three games might have been like the three worst games of the last two years um I didn’t watch anything so far of his from three

Seasons ago like so 2021 but in 2022 and 2023 I just when I got kind of through it like man um he just tailed off and it’s not like their season was over right uh they weren’t in the Big 12 Championship discussion but I I I don’t

Know if he got hurt got nicked i’ I’d like to see an explanation and I don’t think anybody’s I’m not going to the combine and I don’t think anybody’s be like hey you’re really stunk during the last month what happened I’d like to know what happened um he plays High

Which he’s tall but you like to get guys to kind of you know get low on their back pedal or or or consistently be kind of technically sign sound and for a guy that’s already tall and already you know a concern like I think um that 5’11 to

511 and a half to me is the Prototype size for a corner Eric Crocker has talked a lot about like about this how tough it is really truly difficult it is to be a great corner at 61 62 and it’s it’s just the special ones that can make

Work every thinks like oh the Prototype size for corner is 61 it’s not like guys just it’s very difficult to move uh the way that a cornerback needs to move uh when you’re that tall and so when you’re that tall and you already kind of play

High um I’m really interested to see if it’s if it’s just kind of a bad habit and it can be overcome and and and what I want to see there is is is change of Direction uh testing at the NFL combine I’m interested to see um you know what

He’s going to run uh in the in the short shuttle what he’s going to run in the three cone drill the 40 will be important I mean I think any Corner kind of has to check a box Bo if you will I think any corner has to have a certain

Level of uh you know topend speed just especially if they’re going to play a deep third right you have to have some level of speed to play cornerback unless you’re just going to a strict cover two team and gotta tell you there are not a ton of teams anymore um that that run

Tampa 2 as like their base are just constantly running a really clean version of of Tamp two um and Green Bay certainly won’t be one of those teams under Jeff Halley right so uh you got to have some long speed I’m more interested in TJ Tampa’s change of Direction that’s

The more important thing to me uh he does get caught with his hand in the cookie jar occasionally um I mentioned him as more of a shutdown guy than a gamble guy he does do a little bit of gambling I meant I mean that from more of like if he is

What he can be I think he can be more of a take your guy away um than a a big ball production guy he kind of thinks he’s a ball production guy and then you look at the the box score and it’s like I maybe you’re not um I mentioned

Doesn’t get beat bit goodness doesn’t get beat deep a ton when he has I kind of went in and and and looked at a at a cut of of his explosives given up a lot of it is when he’s trying to go get the

Ball a lot of it is um not is is like not getting beat deep not losing a jump ball like he doesn’t get mossed right but if he goes for a pick or he takes a bad angle um that is when he he gets beat deep and and some of just that eye

Discipline stuff um I’d like to see improved and I think uh potentially could be more of a problem in the NFL than it was in college the gambling um kind of aspects of his game again not a not a huge red flag but something that I

Noted and something that I I sat down um the big one for me is like Kenny turn right is he loose enough in the hips to play Man um or is he just going to be a deep third or or or cover four corner uh and one of those is much more valuable

Than the other okay if he’s a really good Zone Corner if he’s somebody that can play that linear football right and and start and stop and and have that StraightLine acceleration that straight line top speed that ability to High Point the football um be able to run

Fast enough at 6′ one to not get beat deep like that has value but if he has the wiggle in his hips to play Man coverage and you know pass off off Route Concepts and and be able to drive on stuff and change direction I think that really honestly probably moves them in

More of a round one grade but I I need to be able to see that because it’s not on tape right um and so some Elite change of Direction stuff at the combine would would move me closer to round one with TJ Tampa I don’t know that it would

Get him all the way there just because um you know there are some guys that that do really well um in the underwear Olympics if you will and it just never translates to me it’s that’s my big question change of Direction how fluid is he right now I see explosive I see

Long I see aggressive I see a good football player who’s going to get a decent grade for me but I I don’t see that fluidity that a player like a Jer Alexander has uh okay Packers fit watch for the testing they really like long Corners okay that is something that they

Appreciate um Valentine has decent length I know Jer doesn’t but you go back to like their infatuation with larius Gunter obviously they spent a lot of money um on uh uh excuse me a lot of draft capital on Kevin King I think even Eric Stokes is a reasonably big guy uh

Yeah six foot tall another six foot tall Corner um looks like he’s even closer to 61 uh they they like um yeah 61 so they like long Corners that’s a thing that’s that’s uh you know I think Jer Alexander probably had some explosive numbers that they were super excited about Jer Alexander obviously

Had some change of Direction stuff that they were super excited about and they nailed the Jer Alexander pick they they whiffed on Josh Jackson and Kevin King I mean six feet tall like they like these longer corners and certainly if Jeff hle is going to play cover three cover one

The the guys with size especially if they’re going to project them outside and not into a nickel roll it’s going to be something but I’m I’m going to be paying attention um as far as the Packers spefic specific thresholds what they like to see what you guys should be

Watching for from TJ Tampa at the NFL combine uh 510 and 78 that’s their for outside corner but honestly basically for Corner guys that they’ve drafted 510 and seven8 he’s that okay he’s he’s tall he’s 61 he’s not even close to that 510

And S a number um he’s got to run the 40 and better than 46 and I would just say that’s it needs to happen either way um if he was 6’4 he could run slower you know 6’4 with his moving movement skills but he’s 61 he’s got to be able to run

Better than 46 and then they want that three cone time to be under 7 seconds and that’s the change of Direction stuff that I’m talking about and so that would make him um you know if he can run because everything else is already there

And I think um if he could run a you know 44 something or a low 45s 40 and break that 7 second time in the three cone he might be a pretty tier one tier one Packer as far as a fit perspective um outside corner opposite Jer I don’t

See TJ Tampa as a nickel at all you’re talking specifically about his fit I think he’s in the uh a competition immediately with Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentin I don’t um I don’t think for a minute he could play nickel I I might check him out at safety just

Depending on what I see I I would maybe I would maybe look at him at safety I think he could be a really good deep thir thirds corner if hle wants to play a tunnel single High um I I think TJ Tampa could be a really good fit in

Round two if they address you know offensive line or pass rush or you know uh pick my guy Keon Coleman at 41 if they do some other stuff if it’s nuben and fanu or kinchin and Chris Jenkins you know go to the defensive line um any

Type of that thing that next at pick 58 I think TJ Tampa could be awesome for them um I think he he’d have to really beat up Valentine’s and Stokes in Camp unless they think he can play a little safety and and that’s sort of his team

Fit okay overall grade for TJ Tampa he’s got a solid round two for me um right in the middle of round two is where I have him graded uh player 54 overall for me I think good change of Direction testing could push him up into the late 30s I

Don’t know that I’m ever going to go um it with a round one grade just based on film no matter what uh I I mentioned kind of and and people get on me and I get I do get some of the criticism I understand it right um people get on me

About athletic testing and how much I value it it’s a lot of the times it it breaks some ties it answers some questions and it checks some boxes and then there are situations like with Elijah Holyfield right we running back out of Georgia a lot of people had him

In the top 50 then top 100 and he had just such a terrible combine that it was like okay he probably not an NFL athlete he’s not in the NFL and I’m not saying that’s going to happen to TJ Tampa I’m just saying there are things that can

Happen to you where when you go from the college to the pro level from an strictly athletic standpoint if you’re just not an NFL athlete you’re just not an NFL athlete not a concern with TJ Tampa um but he’s gonna have some variance for me based on what happens in Indianapolis um not

Necessarily so much because of the the long speed but really more uh the change of Direction I want to see how much wiggle he has I want to see you know here his short area quickness and and if he can kind of slide up my my rankings

At all uh speaking of my rankings and speaking of what we’re doing here the Green Bay draft guide brought to you by Packer report is the top in my opinion Packers specific draft guide out there uh I work on that thing Jacob westendorf works on that thing Jacob moley works on

That thing he does a great job with Packer people I’ve got it right here when I’m talking about thresholds athletic points that the Packers prefer as I mentioned with corner they prefer you to be uh over 510 and 78 they prefer you to run under a 4640 and they prefer

You to run under A7 second three cone that is based on 20 years of research you know kind of even more at some points because Ron wolf taught Ted Thompson who taught Brian gudakunst okay and this is very very like I’ll give you just as an example why you should listen

To this and we’ll go here are your um tier one Packer fits so at wide receiver I’m just giving this as an example for for the guide purpose at wide receiver the Packers like you to be 5’11 or more 195 or more run a 4574 or quicker a 7.08

Three Corner quicker a 10- foot broad or more and they really like productive wide receivers as in having a thousand- yard College season the five five players that hit that number for the Packers in last year’s draft jsn Rashi rice by the way two pretty good players

Especially rice Davon Wicks at Perry and Grant Dubose five players so of the five tier one Packers fits Green Bay took two of them that’s the type of insight that you can get with the Green Bay draft guide powered by Packer report is naring you in on guys that might be Green Bay

Packers and having you watch the draft as an educated fan which is our goal goal right we want you uh to be in on the action and feel like you know what you’re talking about because there’s nothing cooler than being at the bar with your buddies and knowing what the

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Pack aay podcast Channel thanks so much for watching have a great day and go Paco