Bears will host one of the top edge rushers in the 2025 NFL Draft for a pre-draft visit, giving the team another option with the 10th overall pick
The Chicago Bears are continuing to dive deep into potential options with the 10th overall pick in the first-round of the 2025 NFL Draft and their upcoming Top-30 announcement might be the most important one.The Bears are expected to host Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart ahead of the draft, a potential Top-10 talent in […]
The Chicago Bears are continuing to dive deep into potential options with the 10th overall pick in the first-round of the 2025 NFL Draft and their upcoming Top-30 announcement might be the most important one.
The Bears are expected to host Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart ahead of the draft, a potential Top-10 talent in this year's class.
Stewart is meeting with the New England Patriots on Thursday and is also expected to meet with the San Francisco 49ers in the coming day, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
Seeing the Bears show interest in Stewart makes sense. The Bears have shown interest in other top pass rushers in the class and could be willing to take one 10th overall depending on how the first nine selections play out.
Athletically, Stewart is a freak and proved that in front of scouts and executives at the Senior Bowl and again at the NFL Scouting Combine. However, everyone seems to be split on where he could potentially end up in the first-round due to his college production, or lack there of.
Potential vs Production Concerns
Stewart is a physically gifted athlete but his 4.5 sacks in his entire three-year college career concerns potential decision-makers.
Stewart flourished at the Senior Bowl, looking at times like "the best player on the field," according to one personnel evaluator. "Big, fast, explosive — lots of physical ability," an NFC executive said. "Just not sure where exactly he's going to go." Added a separate NFC exec: "The community is split on him." – ESPN's Jeremy Fowler
Part of that could have been due to the scheme fit at Texas A&M or the play of those around him on the defensive front, two theories Fowler mentioned in the same piece. Regardless, Stewart struggled to finish when attacking the quarterback, but that doesn't mean he's not a good pass rusher, or can't be a great one in the NFL.
Teams at the top of the draft are taking a considerable amount of time to meet with this guy to see what the problems were that affected his production level. It's no surprise to see the Bears join that list and potentially consider drafting the high-risk but high-upside prospect.
