“While he has the athletic measurements of a No. 1 overall pick, his production left a whole lot to be desired.”
“The lack of production relative to the traits is a concern; still, players who move like him are highly coveted.”
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“He’s also the highest-rated player in this year’s balancing act of marrying future NFL potential with on-field production. And his evaluation might be defined by the number “4.5″ — as in, 4.5 total college sacks and exactly 1.5 in each of his three seasons.”
Those are three quotes from three different draft analysts regarding Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher and 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart’s bizarre lack of production in college despite his borderline freakish combination of size and speed.
The Bengals, of course, used the No. 17 overall selection on Stewart. To this point in his career, he has two sacks to his name and has played in 12 total games.
Most damning, though, was the fact that he was a healthy scratch before the Bengals’ Week 7 win over the Ravens on the road in Baltimore, meaning he was fully healthy and available to the Bengals, and the coaching staff felt they had a better chance to win without him. Of course, he wasn’t the only player to be a healthy scratch, but he was the only first-round pick.
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Stewart was active in Week 8, but only took six snaps.
It appears as though Stewart’s time to prove he was worth the No. 17 overall pick has come.
Promising edge rusher and fellow Texas A&M Aggie Cashius Howell suffered a wrist injury that required surgery during their comeback win over the Ravens. The rookie, who has taken 185 defensive snaps before he left in the third quarter against the Titans, which is the third most of any edge rusher on the roster behind Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy, leaves a large void.
Now, Stewart will be asked to help fill that empty space, which will finally give him the opportunity to prove the Bengals got it right in 2025.
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This is especially true considering Cedric Johnson (who has taken 104 snaps) also left the game against the Ravens. He was declared out after suffering an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. He is considered day-to-day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be available or at 100% if he is on Sunday morning in Spain.
Stewart’s size and speed should make him a nightmare for many offensive tackles. The potential Stewart could have as a pass rusher is why he was selected so early despite the little production. Hopefully, he can help the Bengals remain near the top when it comes to sacks in the league, even though they rarely blitz, which is a testament to their defensive line that Stewart will now look to boost.
