Tyrique Stevenson, CB Miami: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Stevenson was a four-star recruit from Miami Southridge Senior High School in Miami, Fla. in the class of 2019
Some analysts believe Miami’s Tyrique Stevenson will play safety at the next level, but his tape is good enough to warrant a top-100 selection at outside corner in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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Tyrique Stevenson, CB Miami: 2023 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Fourth year junior outside cornerback from Miami, Fla.
Background: Stevenson was a four-star recruit from Miami Southridge Senior High School in Miami, Fla. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 37 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 35 for Rivals, and No. 36 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 89th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. Stevenson originally played for South Dade before transferring to Miami Southridge. He originally committed to Florida before flipping to Georgia. Stevenson transferred from Georgia to Miami ahead of the 2021 season. He made 69 tackles and four interceptions in 2017. Stevenson played for Team East in 2019 All-American Bowl Game. He was selected to play on Team Overdrive at the Nike Opening 2018 Finals, where he totaled two interceptions and two passes defensed in seven-on-seven competition. Stevenson was also selected to play in the 2018 Rivals Five-Star Challenge. He earned Second-Team All-Dade Class 8A-6A honors from the Miami Herald in 2017.
Injuries & Off-Field: Battled injuries in 2021, missed 2021 Duke game, missed 2022 Virginia Tech game
Awards: 2019 Georgia Co-Winner Defensive Newcomer of the Year, 2021 Honorable Mention All-ACC, 2022 Third-Team All-ACC
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units, experienced punt returner, experience playing in the slot at Georgia, rarely penalized, arm length, ideal size and play strength, good speed in his half-turn to carry receivers, eliminates outside releases by pressing them along the sideline, reads the quarterback’s eyes to peel off his assignment and jump a different route, soft-shoe press, stiff punch to jam receivers at the line, sudden one-armed stab to stun receivers, high points the ball at the catch point, uses length to crowd receivers at the catch point, plays to his size, quick downhill trigger, willing contributor in the run game, will challenge and shed blocks on his way to the ball carrier
Cons: One year of high-level ball production, poor agility testing, some hip tightness, change of direction is sometimes delayed, lacks the twitch to mirror smaller receivers, allowed vertical separation to Southern Miss’ Jason Brownlee (2022) several times, speedsters stack him, bends at his waist in his stance so his chest extends over his knees, transitions can be leggy, sometimes whiffs on punches and ends up unbalanced, allows separation on inside releases, false steps when attempting to mirror inside releases, footwork slows his reaction time, can be a little too loose on underneath routes when in off-man or zone, struggles when WR widens him before cutting back inside on deep posts, zone awareness is hit-or-miss, physicality downfield could draw penalties, dropped interceptions, could show more urgency to defeat blocks and redirect to the ball, not a true hustle player in pursuit, slips off tackles, occasionally ducks head into tackles
Overview: Stevenson took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6000 and weighs 198 lbs. He has 9 5/8-inch hands and 32 3/8-inch arms. Stevenson had a 77 1/4-inch wingspan at the Senior Bowl. He played to the boundary and field sides of the defense for Miami. Stevenson gained special teams experience on the kick coverage and field goal block units and returned punts for the Hurricanes. He spent time in the slot at Georgia. Stevenson has long arms, ideal size, and excellent play strength for a cornerback. He eliminates outside releases by pressing them along the sideline. The former four-star recruit reads the quarterback’s eyes to leave receivers and jump other routes. Stevenson throws stiff punches to jam receivers at the line. He has a sudden one-armed stab that’s very effective. Stevenson high points the football at the catch point and uses his length to crowd receivers. He maximizes his size and plays to it. The Florida native quickly triggers downhill and willingly contributes in the run game. He uses his length and strength to shed blocks on his way to the ball. Unfortunately, Stevenson tested poorly in the agility drills and has some hip tightness. His change of direction is sometimes delayed, and he lacks the twitch to mirror smaller receivers. The All-ACC selection has good vertical speed, but he’s stacked by speedsters. Even Southern Mississippi’s Jason Brownlee (2022) achieved vertical separation a few times. Stevenson’s transitions can be leggy. He sometimes whiffs on punches and ends up unbalanced. Stevenson allows separation and takes false steps when attempting to mirror inside releases. His footwork slows his reaction time. Stevenson is too loose on underneath routes when in off-man or zone. He struggles to keep up when wide receivers widen him before bouncing inside on deep posts. His awareness in zone is hit-or-miss. Stevenson’s physicality downfield could draw penalties. He dropped several interceptions at Miami. The larger corner could show more urgency when facing blockers. He slips off tackles and occasionally ducks his head into contact.
Overall, Stevenson needs to diversify what he does well by becoming more comfortable in zone and off-man if he wants to avoid transitioning to safety, but he has all of the physical tools to develop into a regular starter. Technical development will be crucial for Stevenson as he works to become less scheme dependent.
Role & Scheme Fit: Press-man field corner
Round Projection: Third Round
Player Comparison: N/A
Submitted: 04-16-23