Sometimes it can take a period of time for a young player to embrace the team that drafts him into the NFL. Maybe they had designs on going to a particular region of the country. Perhaps they wanted to play for a specific coach. Whatever the reasons, there are instances where a young player is disappointed when learning where they end up. Warren Sapp wasn’t happy when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted him. It could’ve easily been the same for young cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
Here is a young man born in Miami, Florida. He grew up in that state and played high school and college ball there. Then on draft day, he learns he must head north to Chicago, where it gets cold in winter. If that weren’t bad enough, he was joining a team that had just gone 3-14. Not ideal. Yet none of that bothered Stevenson. He was ready to go to war for the Bears once they called his name. Why? He explained to Adam Jahns of The Athletic that it came down to being a special case in the eyes of GM Ryan Poles.
“Being (general manager Ryan Poles’) first trade-up.”
It is true.
Through his entire first draft as Bears GM, Poles never once traded up for a player. That streak continued in the 1st round this year. Finally, on day two of action, he moved up in the 2nd round to secure Stevenson. The cornerback immediately recognized the message being sent. He couldn’t adequately describe how good that made him feel.
“(The trade-up) means everybody that played in that decision really believed in me and saw something in me that I guess other people didn’t see,” Stevenson said. “That makes me want to come into this building and give them 110 percent.
“And even when I don’t have it, it still makes me want to give it — just to have somebody that believes in you, believe in your ability, believe that you are a great human being.”
“It gives me that motivation,” Stevenson said. “They believed in me. I’ve got to make sure that I fulfill their beliefs in me and also fulfill mine.”
He isn’t the only one who noticed it.
Charles Tillman has spent time at Halas Hall over the past two weeks, imparting as much wisdom as possible to the younger guys. He shares something in common with Stevenson, being a former 2nd round pick himself. He also told the rookie what the trade up signaled.
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“We just spoke about the integrity of being a Chicago Bear, to be honest,” Stevenson said. “He just told me that they traded up for you and they believe, and then it was like they only draft physical defensive players here. You have to be a certain type of player to be a Chicago Bear. We just talked about the history and we talked about a lot of DB stuff.”
Tyrique Stevenson is already living up to expectations.
The cornerback started fast in OTAs and minicamps, showcasing his size and speed. Then after some hiccups against the Bears’ veteran receivers, he bounced back with a terrific interception this past week against Justin Fields. He’s been battling with fellow draft pick Terell Smith for playing time on the 1st-team defense. Nobody doubts he is giving maximum effort in every practice, and it appears he’s learning fast too. There is nothing talent-wise he can’t do. It was always a question of fine-tuning his game.
That is where having Jon Hoke is such a blessing. The new Bears cornerbacks coach is one of the grizzled veterans of the NFL. He’s been around forever and has helped several quality starters in his time around the league. He also has the added advantage of having coached in this defensive system before. Tyrique Stevenson is already learning so many things from him, including the importance of remembering the small details. It doesn’t matter. He’ll absorb whatever it takes to reward the organization for believing in him.
