Bears News: Getting to Know: Tyrique Stevenson |
For the most part, most NFL experts widely view the Chicago Bears 2023 NFL draft as a huge success, especially in the early rounds. Second-year GM Ryan Poles identified the needs of his team and did a great job addressing those needs to put this team in the best position to succeed next season.
Along with filling this team's needs, Poles also took a look at the big board to add several quality depth pieces to this team. One of those depth pieces was the second-round pick of CB Tyrique Stevenson from the University of Miami. Already with one of the younger and more promising secondaries with guys like Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Jaquon Brisker, to name a few, Stevenson is going to come in and add to that room to make that unit better. Chicago can thank the Jacksonville Jaguars for this pick as they give picks No. 61 and 136 to the Jaguars in exchange for No. 56, which they elected to select Stevenson with. For those of you who may not have seen a ton of Stevenson in college, he is a dog of a player that displays an immense passion for playing the game of football. This player is known to be one of the better defenders on the field and can come into camp on day one to make an immediate impact on this defense. Unlike many players in this year's class, Stevenson is a four-year player, but his last two seasons with the Hurricane put him on the map. Across his junior and senior seasons, Stevenson accumulated 68 total tackles, with four coming for a loss. As a CB, tackling is a small part of your game, although it is essential. However, what you do in the passing game will set you apart, and Stevenson was a beast in coverage. During his final two years in school, Stevenson broke up 14 passes and came away with three interceptions. He may not make the play all the time, but he always found a way to be around the ball, which is why he earned third-team All-ACC honors this past season. Before his time with Miami, Stevenson spent two years at Georgia, where he added 48 tackles and broke up five passes. At 6-0 and 204 pounds, Stevenson is a good size for a corner and plays with his size to make things difficult on a defender. Along with that size, his 4.45 40-time shows that he has the speed to keep up with some of the faster WRs in the game, which could prove beneficial next season. As good as Gordon and Johnson are in coverage, they are not burners, so adding Stevenson gives them an added dimension those two do not have. The former top-50 National Recruit when he initially signed with Georgia, Stevenson is a big cornerback with the size and play strength to help match up with bigger receivers in the league. He is patient but physical in press-man and has good recovery speed when he falls behind. He struggles as a pattern matcher in off-man and had issues with busts in the zone, so he might be scheme-dependent. Stevenson is talented when attacking the catch point and has the ball skills to make plays on 50/50 throws. Stevenson needs to become more consistent in run support but has the physical attributes to become a starter in a press-man scheme. When you look at his overall attributes on the field, Stevenson has incredible footwork that allows him to adjust to various coverage styles. He is best suited in a press and release coverage scheme but has shown the ability to recover when beaten. Stevenson also has a surprising leaping ability, which allows him to high-point the football in coverage to make plays. If there are concerns about him, one would be that he is susceptible to allowing the big play, which will not bode well against guys like Justin Jefferson and some of the other big play threats. When put in zone coverage, he needs help recognizing the play around him, which leads to him getting beaten off the line. There have also been times when he overextended in press coverage, but that is something that can be fixed under Alan Williams. In any case, the Bears are getting a quality player that looks like a safety but plays the CB position. Any time you garner James Bradberry comparisons, you know the potential is there to be a solid player, and the Bears are hoping that he can turn into a solid player before too long.
