Former NFL All-Pro lays out how Bengals can utilize Shemar Stewart's elite traits right away as a rookie
Nobody on the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive line was drafted as high as Shemar Stewart was last week. The 17th overall pick comes into the NFL with athleticism and physical traits that make an average defensive end green with envy. With those elite tools comes various possibilities on how to implement him on the field as early […]
Nobody on the Cincinnati Bengals' defensive line was drafted as high as Shemar Stewart was last week. The 17th overall pick comes into the NFL with athleticism and physical traits that make an average defensive end green with envy.
With those elite tools comes various possibilities on how to implement him on the field as early as possible. Explosion, length, and power can be utilized not just on the edge where he'll surely play the majority of his career, but closer to offensive tackles and even guards.
Positional flexibility in a nutshell. At least that's what former NFL All-Pro linebacker and Cincinnati native Luke Kuechly envisions for Stewart.
Luke Kuechly bullish on Shemar Stewart's immediate ability
A former first-round pick himself, Kuechly knows more about the ins and outs of an NFL defense than 99.9% of people who have ever walked the planet. His off-field preparation and on-field insight helped him become one of the best linebackers, maybe the best, of his generation.
He's also seen plenty of versatile defensive linemen play in front of him. Kuechly believes a versatile future is in store for Cincinnati's newest addition to that position group.
"I think what he gives you is he gives you flexibility to play inside and outside," Kuechly explained to Kay Adams of Up & Adams. "He's got the size and the length and the athletic ability in a four down front to play like that true defensive end in the C-gap, or outside the tackle. He gives you that. He's got plenty of ability to do that. But what he also does is when they when they switch over and they play more of a 3-down front, more of a 3-4, he can slide inside, play over the top of a tackle, outside edge of the tackle, and be physical."
Stewart ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine after weighing in at just under 270 pounds. He played at a heavier weight for Texas A&M and was still just as explosive on tape. That explosion is why Kuechly believes Stewart can play inside at his listed weight.
"Because he has great length. He's got explosiveness. You know, he's 270 pounds. Some people might say he's a little bit undersized to be there, but what he has that's unique is explosive ability. So if he's just going to sit there and take on tackles, he's able to do that. But what he is able to do is that twitchiness, that length, the ability to get vertical and shoot gaps. It gives him great ability to line him up outside."
Considering the fact that Cincinnati passed on drafting a defensive tackle entirely, Stewart may be needed to slide inside on passing downs this season. Shooting B-gaps and taking on guards head-on may be an avenue for Stewart to put his explosion and bull rush to good use.
Kuechly proceeded to claim Stewart's ceiling is the best in this year's draft as a "true defensive end," which was to exclude the likes of third-overall pick Abdul Carter and other more traditional stand-up edge rushers. The Bengals would love nothing more than for that to come true.
How they put him to work out the gate will be very telling.
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