INDIANAPOLIS — It’s no secret that the Detroit Lions need outside cornerback help. And that’s where ESPN’s Mel Kiper is focused for his second mock draft of the cycle, which comes from the annual scouting combine, with Iowa State corner T.J. Tampa landing in Detroit via Pick 29.
Tampa comes with a desirable build at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. There isn’t much ball production to his name, with just three interceptions in four seasons. He was a lockdown cover cornerback who held quarterbacks to a 54.8 passer rating, just 240 receiving yards and one touchdown on 49 targets in coverage. Tampa also added eight tackles for loss over the last two years, with his ability and willingness against the run making him a fit to watch here.
“Here’s a corner who might be going a little under the radar. Tampa can start for a team from day one,” Kiper writes. “He played nearly 900 coverage snaps for the Cyclones, and he saw every route. After giving up four touchdown passes as the nearest defender in coverage in 2021, he allowed only three in the next two seasons.
“He made a massive improvement in 2023. Although Tampa had only three interceptions in college, I think he could be more productive in the NFL … Detroit, as I wrote in my mock draft in January, struggled in the secondary last season, ranking 30th in passing yards allowed to receivers (3,081). This is where it can get an instant starter.”
