Shemar Stewart 2025 NFL Draft: Unquestioned Great or Bonafide Bust?

A perfect 10. A phrase tucked away under lock and key and only granted to names such as Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comaneci… and 2025 NFL Draft sensation Shemar Stewart.

The Texas A&M pass-rusher is officially the most athletic D-line prospect in NFL history through the first day of testing, per his Relative Athletic Score (RAS). His numbers are nearly identical to Defensive Player of the Year winner Myles Garrett, except they’re better. 

No shame in that, Myles. He also beat the other 1,801 players tested from 1987 to 2025.

Sounds like a slam dunk, right? 

Allow us to introduce another variable into the equation. Stewart—whose primary job is to get the quarterback on the ground—never recorded more than 1.5 sacks in three seasons of college football. You’d think that with his power and explosiveness, he could’ve sneezed and knocked the quarterback over at least twice in 12 games.

One of the 32 teams out there is going to take a risk on Stewart in the 2025 NFL Draft. Probably in the first round. But while he might have a “Best in the World” ceiling, he also has the floor of an old “Oh, yeah… What was his name?” guy who’s only remembered on trivia nights.  

Shemar Stewart wows at NFL combine

Stewart put on a show during the first day of testing at the NFL combine. His RAS is beyond freakishly high, and frankly, it’s the primary reason why he’s one of the top prospects at his position.

Shemar Stewart NFL combine results
Height	6’5
Weight	267lbs
40-yard dash	4.59
10-yard split	1.58u
Vertical	40 inches
Broad jump	10’11
Total RAS score	10

Here’s a reminder of how Garrett tested at the 2017 combine.

Myles Garrett NFL combine results
Height	6’4 1/2
Weight	272lbs
40-yard dash	4.64
10-yard split	1.63u
Vertical	41 inches
Broad jump	10’8
Total RAS score	9.98

The hard truth

Men lie, women lie, you know the rest.

Stewart’s 1.5 sacks were tied with players such as Air Force’s Blake Fletcher, UTSA’s Jon Jones (not that one), Nevada’s Tongiaki Mateialona, and a bunch of guys who tied for 741st in sacks last season and who never had a chance of playing on Sundays.

Arguably the toughest job in the NFL belongs not to the starting quarterback or the head coach, but each of the college scouts employed by the league’s 32 franchises. It’s difficult to delineate apples from oranges when comparing the SEC to the Big 12, and projecting how players from all over the country will assimilate into the NFL is nothing more than a coin flip in many cases.

SB Nation’s Warren Ludford analyzed every first-round draft pick from 1996-2016 and found that 16.7 percent didn’t play for the team that drafted them, and 37 percent were considered “useless.”

15.3 percent were considered poor, 10.5 percent were deemed to be good, only 6.9 percent were great, and one percent earned the title of legendary.

A consistent 1.5 sacks per season doesn’t exactly make Stewart seem like he’ll end up in that one percent, which every team believes they are getting when they invest a first-round pick.

However—and we say this with grains of salt sprinkled on top—that doesn’t tell the entire story.

Stewart led Texas A&M’s defense with 39 pressures in 12 games, equaling 3.25 per game or 6.94 percent of his snaps. 

Pro Football Focus also graded him as the sixth-best run defender but the 335th best pass-rusher among all EDGE players last year.

Does production even matter?

Yes, it does. A million-dollar car that goes zero-to-60 in two seconds but falls apart after a mile isn’t worth a dime. But as oxymoronic as it sounds, production, or a lack thereof, is not always indicative of a positive or negative NFL future. 

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker is the most recent example of a talent-based EDGE player that didn’t have great production in college, but who turned out to be an impactful NFL player.

Walker, a rising fourth-year pro, had seasons of 2.5, one, and six sacks at the University of Georgia. He also had the deck stacked in his favor playing alongside the Bulldogs’ dominant defense, and there was a compelling argument to be made that he would struggle once he was introduced to an even playing field.

That didn’t stop the Jags from taking him first in the 2022 NFL Draft ahead of players such as Aidan Hutchinson, Derek Stingley Jr., and Sauce Gardner.

Walker had a sluggish start to his NFL career, producing 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception, but he bounced back with seasons of 10 and 10.5 sacks the next two years. He finished last year ranked 13th in stops and 18th in hurries for a Jags team that was often playing from behind.

Although Walker’s numbers paled in comparison to other defensive linemen taken with the first pick, a la Myles Garrett and Mario Williams, his recent production makes it tough to call him anything worse than a solid player.

So even though Walker had four times as many sacks as Stewart in their final collegiate seasons, and Walker’s six were still considered to be low, there’s hope for Stewart. Okay, maybe a sliver, but the hope exists.

Stewart should be in consideration for #1 overall with the questions surrounding Abdul Carter’s foot

— Booger (@ESPNBooger) February 27, 2025

Shemar Stewart 2025 NFL Draft prediction

Draft analysts are split on where they believe Stewart will fall in the draft. Here’s a look at where many believe he will wind up playing his pro ball.

• Mel Kiper Jr. (ESPN): Arizona Cardinals – Round 1, pick 16
• Field Yates (ESPN): Arizona Cardinals – Round 1, pick 16
• Daniel Jeremiah (NFL.com): Baltimore Ravens – Round 1, pick 27
• Charles McDonald (Yahoo Sports): Atlanta Falcons – Round 1, pick 15
• Tankathon: Cincinnati Bengals – Round 1, pick 17
• Dalton Weisserman (Pro Football Focus): Detroit Lions – Round 1, pick 28
• Bucky Brooks (NFL.com): Green Bay Packers – Round 1, pick 23
• Michael Middlehurst-Schwarts (USA Today): Cincinnati Bengals – Round 1, pick 17
• Grant Mitchell (Hostile Environment): Baltimore Ravens – Round 1, pick 27

The lack of a consensus reflects everything we know about the mystery man and his outlandish variance as a prospect. He’s a few strong interviews away from being put up against Michigan’s Mason Graham as the best front-seven prospect in the draft, just like he’s another month of film review away from falling out of the first round.

Let’s talk about which teams might really be interested in acquiring his services.

Shemar Stewart NFL Mock Drafts

The Cleveland Browns are likely to lose the disgruntled Garrett this offseason, and it would be incredible theater if they took his athletic replica with the second pick. However, Cleveland needs a guarantee, and Stewart is the biggest risk in the draft.

The Las Vegas Raiders (pick six) took a chance on Tyree Wilson with the seventh pick two years ago. Like Stewart, he had incredible measurables, but he only produced seasons of 3.5 and 4.5 sacks.

The Carolina Panthers (eighth pick) need help basically everywhere aside from quarterback. That’s right, we said it! Bryce Young was 14th in EPA per play over the final month and a half of the season! 

Dropping Stewart into Charlotte doesn’t exactly provide an immediate shot in the arm for the least-talented team in the league, but it could prove to be a stroke of genius in a couple of years. 

The New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers (picks 9-11) could all look to go defense for different reasons. The Saints are old and well over the salary cap, the Bears were 24th in pass-rush win rate, and the 49ers’ usually-impenetrable defense allowed the fourth-most points per game.

The Atlanta Falcons (pick 15) and Arizona Cardinals (pick 16) ranked 27th and 28th in pass-rush win rate respectively. The Cincinnati Bengals (pick 17) weren’t far behind and missed the playoffs because of their horrible defense despite Joe Burrow’s MVP-level season.

The Baltimore Ravens (pick 27) and Detroit Lions (pick 28) are both conference championship-level teams that can afford to take a swing on a player who needs time to develop or doesn’t pan out at all. Both could also do with help on the outside, as they ranked 29th and 25th in pass-rush win rate.

Shemar Stewart 2025 NFL Draft final thoughts

Stewart is a project. He’s an athletic freak who might just be more of a gym rat than everyone else.

His 4.5 sacks in three seasons are outright terrible for a potential first-round draft pick. Heck, they’re terrible for a seventh-round draft pick. They might even disqualify most undrafted free agents from consideration. 

The team that takes Stewart needs to be confident in their head coach’s mentality and their position coach’s ability to develop talent. The best situation for him would also be one where he can see the field early, but one that won’t rely on him to be an impact player in Week 1.

We picked the Ravens as his best landing spot because of their history of developing talent and maintaining a defensive mentality. They’ll also be one of the top teams in the AFC regardless of how he performs, which makes it an optimal situation for everyone involved. 

We will update this page as Stewart continues to go through the combine process.