Ravens CB Has Chip On Shoulder After Draft Slide

T.J. Tampa fell to the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth wrong, and he's ready to show the rest of the league their mistake.

Iowa State defensive back T.J. Tampa stands for a photo during media day at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Friday, Aug. 4, 2023. / Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA

For T.J. Tampa, going to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 130 overall in April's draft was unexpected to say the least.

A former All-Big 12 cornerback at Iowa State, Tampa was widely expected to be a Day 2 pick, but mysteriously fell into Baltimore's lap at the end of the fourth round. While the Ravens were happy to land a great player at great value, Tampa is still confused by his slide two months later.

“I’m not too sure, it could have been a lot of different things,” Tampa said in an interview with Ravens Wire. “I don’t really know what they were thinking. Maybe it was (my) not doing anything at the combine, or maybe my 40 time, whatever that ended up being.”

While he's not sure why he fell in the draft, Tampa isn't letting it bring him down. Instead, it's the perfect source of motivation for the rookie cornerback to carry with him throughout his entire career.

“It definitely put a chip on my shoulder, going through this process,” Tampa said.“So when my name is called I can show everybody what I got.”

It also helps that Tampa modeled his game after someone who always plays with a chip on his shoulder, seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Not only has the Miami Dolphins star has been one of the best corners in the league for years now, but he's famously an incredibly chippy player. For Tampa, who started playing cornerback full-time in college, there was essentially no better choice for a role model.

“I watched a lot of Jalen Ramsey when I first started playing corner,” Tampa said. "That’s who I tried to model my game after, just being into the position.”

Tampa brings strong production and solid athleticism with him to Baltimore, and while reaching the highs of the player who inspired him is certainly ambitious, he's ready to do whatever it takes to get there.

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