Tyrique Stevenson was the first Miami Hurricane selected in the 2023 NFL draft Friday night. The Chicago Bears selected Stevenson in the round, 56th overall. Former Miami defensive back Devin Hester made the announcement.
He was the first defensive back selected from Miami since 2019 (Jaquan Johnson - 6th round) and the highest defensive back chosen since 2016 (Artie Burns - 1st round).
The 6-foot 198-pound defensive back had his best year in 2022 receiving a career-best 79.5 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. His season totals - 25 total tackles (18 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, 9 passes defended, and 1 interception.
Stevenson's exceptional showing at both the senior bowl, NFL Draft combine, and Pro Day significantly helped his draft stock. Stevenson ran a 4.46 at the combine and shared his experience of the combine with CanesCounty.com. He also showed his explosiveness with a 38.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-and-5-inch broad jump at the combine.
Stevenson is a physical cornerback that excels in man coverage. He does a great job of disrupting the timing between wide receiver and quarterback and was one of the best tacklers on the team during his time at Miami.
In two years at Miami, Stevenson played in 22 games registering 68 total tackles (47 solo), four tackles for loss, a half sack, 14 pass breakups, and three interceptions.
Stevenson originally signed with the Georgia Bulldogs coming out of high school and in two seasons saw action in 24 games and made four starts. He totaled 47 tackles and two tackles for loss and added ten pass breakups while in Athens.
In high school, Stevenson was widely known as one of the best overall athletes in all of South Florida, playing offense, defense, and special teams. The Homestead, FL native and Miami Southridge alum was a four-star prospect, No. 37 prospect nationally, No. 6 cornerback nationally, and No. 6 player in Florida.
Overall, Stevenson can be an NFL starter but will have to work on his consistency to excel in the NFL. It may take some time, but he has the tools to be a starter.
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