Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson quick study at rookie minicamp
Stevenson proves to be quick study at rookie minicamp originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bears got their first look at their incoming rookie class over the weekend, when the team held its first two-day minicamp of the year. In just two days, there’s only so much a player can do in practice to make a strong first impression. There’s even less for players to show when you consider the Bears won’t put on pads until training camp.
Instead, coaches focus on teaching as much information as possible to the new crop of rookies and seeing how much sticks. The players learn concepts, schemes and they do it all in essentially a new language, since the Bears have to teach players the specific verbiage they use to describe everything. There are pop quizzes in the classroom and walkthroughs on the practice field to put everything together.
It’s a ton for players to absorb, so retaining all the info is not easy. At the end of minicamp however, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson proved to be a quick study.
“He's done a good job of learning the defense,” said cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke. “It's been quick for him. He's done a good job of trying to understand the concepts we teach.”
Stevenson has the physical traits to be a dominant corner in the NFL, and the Bears were high enough on him to trade up from No. 61 to No. 56 to grab him in this year’s draft. Hoke said the traits and college tape alone made him “really excited” to get Stevenson in the building. After describing what Stevenson showed at minicamp, Hoke said he was “really, really excited.”
“In two days he's kind of figured out some of the concepts we try to teach and understand those, and then just the new techniques we are trying to do.”
Stevenson was able to show some of what he can do on the field, even though the Bears can’t go full contact yet. He played sticky coverage on pretty much everyone he lined up against over the weekend, including speedster Tyler Scott. Stevenson also showed good instincts and kept his eyes in the right place in zone concepts to be in the right place when the ball would go to short routes on his side of the field.
The Bears won’t hand anyone a job before training camp begins, but Stevenson has a real chance to win the third cornerback job this year. As things stand, the Bears want Stevenson to focus on playing outside corner, so if he does win a job that would allow Kyler Gordon to focus entirely on playing in the slot.
Bears OTAs continue on May 22.
