Grading Bears second-round pick: Tyrique Stevenson

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Just a few minutes after selecting a big defensive tackle, Ryan Poles traded up to draft a big cornerback. With the No. 56 overall pick in the draft, the Bears selected Tyrique Stevenson, a cornerback out of Miami.

Stevenson is 6’0, 198 lbs. and one of the words used most by scouts to describe him is “stout.” They say Stevenson uses his physicality well, especially in press man scenarios. He’s a big hitter and did well to deny opposing receivers the ball. According to PFF, Stevenson gave up a 47.2% completion rate in coverage between 2021 and 2022, which was fifth-best across that span. He had three interceptions over those two seasons, too.

Stevenson started his college career at Georgia, where he played in the slot. Stevenson did want to play that position and butted heads with head coach Kirby Smart, per Dane Brugler, so he transferred to Miami in 2021.

In his introductory press conference, Stevenson shed some more light on his decision to transfer from Georgia to Miami.

"Just the fact that me being naive and frustrated with how everything was unfolding at Georgia," Stevenson said. "Me being on the defense with great players who got drafted last year and are getting drafted now. Being around good players and not being able to contribute just caused a lot of frustration. And I decided to go back and help the fam after COVID hit, so all of that played a part into me deciding to leave my brothers at Georgia.  "

Cornerback experts also say Stevenson struggled in zone schemes, which is the hallmark of Matt Eberflus’ scheme. The Bears did play more man coverage as the 2022 season went on, but one would imagine he’d want to move back towards his signature zone scheme moving forward.

Cornerback was not as big of a need for the Bears as offensive line or defensive line, but the Bears did well to add another player to the defensive backfield. Last year the Bears used a wide variety of players as their third corner, including Kindle Vildor, Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell and Harrison Hand. There were ups and downs. Stevenson likely won’t be handed the third starting cornerback job out the gate, but his addition adds to the talent pool and increases the competition at the position.

Stevenson brings a physicality to the game that Eberflus covets in his players, and his pass defense numbers over his past two seasons are impressive. He has a chance to win a starting job this season, too, so the Bears could earn extra points by finding a Week 1 contributor in the back half of the second round. It will be interesting to hear what the Bears say about his scheme fit, however.

Grade: B+

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