Miami’s Tyrique Stevenson Projected as 1st Round NFL Draft Pick
The NFL Draft has not been easy to predict. One thing should be considered a sure bet, however.
Cornerbacks will be coveted during every NFL Draft. For decades, there have not been enough quality cornerbacks to begin with, and more and more NFL franchises find inventive ways to pass the football. That has placed an extreme amount of pressure on defensive coordinators to find the next up and coming cornerback prospect.
Looking at his overall physical traits and his college accomplishments, Miami’s Tyrique Stevenson presented a unique prospect for NFL franchises when he entered the 2023 NFL Draft.
Lately, he's been playing at about 6-foot-1, and 215 pounds. Stevenson can also use that frame to run with wide receivers and play physical football, as the following video showcased during this particular Senior Bowl practice:
Strong efforts like the video above have been commonplace when a person sought out videos and information about Stevenson leading up to the Senior Bowl. He’s seen his stock rise during the practices, and it’s helped him since playing for the University of Miami.
There were good signs of what he could do long-term, while Stevenson played for The U.
From the 2022 season, 25 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, and 1.5 tackles for loss. In 2021, Stevenson produced 43 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one-half a sack, four pass breakups and an interception.
With his natural athleticism and hard work paying off, Stevenson has seen his NFL Draft stock rise.
Here are the three organizations that recently have placed Stevenson to go in the first round: NFL.com (23rd overall to the Minnesota Vikings - projected on Jan. 20, 2023), NFL Spin Zone (24th overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars - projected on Jan. 28, 2023), and Pro Football Network (22nd to the Baltimore Ravens - projected on Jan. 26, 2023).
Overall, football fans should not be shocked that the physical package Stevenson has shown caught the attention of scouts.
Could Stevenson go up higher in the NFL Draft?
Yes he could. It goes back to his natural size and speed combination. Think about the following fact for a moment. Miami has long since played athletic and speedy linebackers over the bigger and bulkier linebackers other schools utilized.
For example, former Canes linebacker Rohan Marley (yes, the son of the great Bob Marley) was listed at a generous 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds while playing for Miami in the early 1990s.
He was probably closer to 5-foot-8 and 205 pounds. Marley was a really good player, but he was smaller than what Stevenson played at this past fall when he was at 215 pounds.
Any cornerback that can play at over 200 pounds will catch attention to begin with. Plus, Stevenson can compete with any group of cornerbacks that line up to run the 40-yard dash or any other form of speed test. Check out this note from the Senior Bowl:
Keep an eye on former Hurricane Stevenson. He has been catching the attention of NFL scouts and has a chance to go high in the NFL Draft.
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