The Baltimore Ravens general manager, Eric DeCosta, informed reporters during his press conference after Day 2 of the 2024 NFL choose that the team’s strategy for the third and final day will be to “just select the best football players.”
“It’s essentially a free-for-all, and we can simply take our time selecting the best players available without worrying too much about their position or potential fit on the team,” DeCosta stated on Friday night.
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While they used the No. 130 as a whole pick to select Iowa State’s cornerback T.J. Tampa at the bottom of the fourth round, it was not the case when they selected wide-out Devontez Walker of North Carolina near the top of the draft, as the best chances on the board matched the top remaining need. But it was also a clear case of DeCosta’s remarks coming to pass, since the team’s largest need after selecting Clemson’s Nate Wiggins with their first-round pick was not a cornerback.
The older Cyclone was one of the most unexpected prospects coming into Day 3. Many analysts had him pegged as a first-round fringe pick at best and a lock for Day 2 at worst, but he persevered till the bottom on the fourth, when his potential was once again too great to ignore. Tampa, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 189 lbs with 32-inch arms, has good length and stature as well as plays the tough press-man coverage that the Ravens want from their perimeter cornerbacks.
Throughout his time in college, Tampa made 29 starts, including all 12 in the previous two seasons. During that time, he averaged 42 total tackles, scored all three of his career interceptions, 16 pass breakups, eight tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. He is not just a superb coverage player—he has only given up one touchdown in 900 defensive snaps—but he also demonstrates an eager and willing tackler in run support, a trait that the Ravens’ defensive backs exploit.
The selection of Ronald Darby as well as Rock Ya-Sin, two experienced defensive backs who were essential rotational and fill-in players on the league’s top-ranked defense the previous season, in free agency substantially strengthens the team’s defensive depth at outside cornerback. It also guarantees that if the Ravens lose Brandon Stephens to free agency, they won’t find themselves in a similar situation where they have to select a starting caliber player early in the next year’s draft. The 2021 third-round pick is nearing the end of his rookie contract and will soon be coming off a standout 2023 campaign in which he became one of the league’s elite corners.
With the three players that precede him on the roster not getting hurt, Tampa will probably use him primarily on special teams during his rookie season, but if he performs well there, he might start to get some regular playing time. With three-time Super Bowler Marlon Humphrey’s age, money, and durability issues, the Ravens may see Tampa as a future starter who they can acquire for a steep discount as a Day 3 choice.
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