Miami football DBs keep dwindling with Tyrique Stevenson entering NFL Draft

Fourth-year junior Tyrique Stevenson became the eighth defensive back and 16th Miami football player overall to leave the program when the Senior Bowl announced he will compete there next month. The other seven Miami DBs and players entered the transfer portal. Stevenson will get ready for the NFL Draft.

Stevenson played cornerback and the hybrid star position for the Miami football team in 2022. In two seasons with Miami Stevenson had 68 tackles, four tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, three interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Stevenson was a huge addition for Miami in the 2021 transfer portal.

Prior to Miami Stevenson recorded 47 tackles, two TFLs, one sack and 10 pass breakups for Georgia. Miami recruited Stevenson heavily out of high school. Stevenson was the 37th-ranked player, third CB and fourth in Florida in the class of 2019 when he signed with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Stevenson is foregoing his final season of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft. The departure of Stevenson, senior D.J. Ivey and several players to the transfer portal leaves Miami with four CBs on the current roster. Miami has commitments from CBs Cormani McClain and Robert Stafford for 2023 plus DB Antione Jackson.

Including seniors and transfers, Miami has 24 players leaving after this season. Miami has 22 players committed to the 2023 recruiting class. The Hurricanes are expected to add 10 to 20 players to the 2023 roster via the transfer portal. Miami has to focus on the secondary via the transfer portal.

The NFL Mock Draft Database projects Stevenson as high as 144th after previously being projected as high as 44th. That would put Stevenson into the fifth round. Some current projections place Stevenson as high as a second-day (second and third-round) draft pick. Day three seems more likely.

Defensive Jon Ford who was selected in the seventh round by Green Bay in the 2022 NFL Draft was the only Miami football player drafted last April. Miami has not had a defensive back drafted since Michael Jackson, Jaquan Johnson and Sheldrick Redwine were selected in the 2019 NFL Draft.