Why Louis Riddick thinks Stevenson will thrive with Bears originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
One of the most surprising moments of the Bears draft came towards the end of the second round. After drafting defensive tackle Gervon Dexter with the No. 53 overall pick in the draft, Ryan Poles traded back up to No. 56. Many thought it would be for a defensive end to further bolster the pass rush. Maybe it would be a center to give the team a younger option at the position, or physical phenom Darnell Washington to give Justin Fields an enormous tight end to target. Instead, the pick was Tyrique Stevenson.
Stevenson is a physically impressive player in his own right, since he’s big, long and fast, but some questioned whether he would fit into the program Matt Eberflus is trying to build in Chicago. But draft expert Louis Riddick thinks he’s exactly what the Bears are looking for.
“Knowing what I know about Matt Eberflus, he is a Matt Eberflus type of guy,” Riddick said on ESPN 1000 on Tuesday. “This guy will absolutely knock your teeth out. He is a thumper as a corner. He does not back down at all. Super aggressive, plays strong, good tackler, strong at the catch point.”
After the draft, Eberflus brought up some of the same points when explaining why he saw Stevenson, and fifth-round corner Terell Smith, as good scheme fits for the Bears.
“You know with corners there are two things that any defensive player has to do: that's take the ball away and tackle,” Eberflus said. “That's line one and line two, and the guys on our team know that. Those guys are physical, both of them are physical. They like to hit, they’ve got quickness, they’ve got instincts and they’ve got strike. Those are the things we look for, and they're HITS principle guys. That's what Ryan and his staff did an outstanding job, area scouts, coaches of really identifying that trait, to be able to bring those guys into the building. So if you want to have a team that hustles, you want to have a team that hits, you want to have a team that plays tough, you bring those guys in.”
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Looking at the full slate of Bears draft picks, we know traits were king in the team’s draft room. We also know they highly value culture and character as they continue to build the foundation of their locker room. Stevenson checks both of those boxes. But there was still a question of X’s and O’s and the Bears didn’t really address it. Looking at his tape, draft experts wondered whether Stevenson would play better in a defense that runs more man coverage than a zone defense like Eberflus’ and Alan Williams’ defense. Riddick said the opposite, however.
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“To me he fits the prototype of a一 let's just say that if you're going to play a single high type of zone schemes, split safety zone scheme, whether it be Cover 2 or Cover 4, that's what he's made to do,” Riddick said. “That's what he's built for. A guy who's going to play strong on the edges, strong on the perimeter as far as playing Cover 2 playing, you know, a press jam technique.”
Whether or not Stevenson struggles in the Bears defense at first, Eberflus believes their system will help him thrive eventually. He believes in his position coaches as teachers, and his defense is predicated on putting players in the best places to succeed. If players bring their intensity to the field, Eberflus believes his system will help them reach their full potential on the field.
For all those reasons, Riddick thinks Stevenson will flourish in Chicago.
“He fits what they do.”
