Cincinnati Bengals drafting Shemar Stewart is a gigantic bet on new defensive coordinator Al Golden
The Cincinnati Bengals have selected Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart with the 17th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.Stewart is the second EDGE Cincinnati has selected with a first-round pick in the last three drafts. He'll join 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy as a part of a rotation of […]
The Cincinnati Bengals have selected Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart with the 17th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Stewart is the second EDGE Cincinnati has selected with a first-round pick in the last three drafts. He'll join 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy as a part of a rotation of pass-rushers under new defensive coordinator Al Golden.
This will not be the last time the Bengals draft a defensive player this week, but Stewart is an explosive first swing.
Shemar Stewart looks the part as Al Golden's first pick as Cincinnati's DC
Stewart has all the physical tools you see out of a first-round pass rusher. At 6-5 and 267 pounds, he boasts a wingspan nearly 85" wide with arms just over 34". Size is only part of the equation with him as he ran a 4.59 40-yard dash and jumped 40" and 10' 11" in the vertical and broad jump, respectively.
No one in this entire draft class is faster or more explosive for his size than Stewart. Golden plays a scheme where disrupting the quarterback quickly is required, and Stewart will be relied on to get after the quarterback while the secondary plays more man coverage than they've been accustomed to doing.
Stewart looks the part, and that's about where the guarantees end with him.
Stewart is one of the more polarizing players in this entire class
Players who look and move like Stewart off the edge don't normally last 17 picks in the draft. The reason why he lasted this long is because of the things he didn't do at Texas A&M. He leaves college with just 4.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss to his name.
Why didn't a player with his freakish athleticism find the ball more often? Was he a victim of an unfriendly scheme, or did his coaches protect him from situations where he would be exposed?
Because of these uncertainties, many fans opinions on Stewart were split. Cincinnati has taken gambles on players like Stewart who left the college game with much to prove, and most of those gambles didn't pay off. Murphy himself is an apt example as he has just three sacks in two years with the Bengals.
Despite the polarizing nature of his profile, Stewart's tantalizing measurables had him high on most big boards, and the Bengals will look at him as a value pick.
Shemar Stewart Scouting Report
Age: 21 (11/12/2003)
A to Z Sports Draft Projection: No. 11 overall, Round 1
Scouting Report: A former five star recruit, Shemar Stewart has always been easy to spot because of his unique blend of size and athleticism. While he tested as one of the rarest athletes in NFL Combine history, his on-field production has not yet followed suit. He finished with only 4.5 sacks over his career at Texas A&M, proving to be a recruiting bust if that's the only way we measured success. That said, his dedication to his body and excellent showing at the 2025 Senior Bowl are promising, suggesting he was playing at a higher level than his stats might suggest. – Ian Valentino, A to Z Sports
Career Projection: Boom Bust Starter Potential
Final Word
This is not a pick that we'll be able to judge for several years. Stewart has a long way to go in his development and may not be ready to play significant snaps out of the gate, but his eye-popping explosion will tempt Golden and the coaching staff to feature him in obvious passing downs.
Stewart is also a former five-star recruit from a major program who's 21 years old. That matches several of their recent first-round picks such as Murphy, Amarius Mims, and Dax Hill.
There was already plenty of pressure on Golden to turn this defense around. Now with an unfinished product in Stewart at his disposal, plenty of eyes will be on him to get the newest Bengal ready to contribute and improve this defense.
