Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart registered 4.5 sacks total over 37 college games. Despite that, he was the 17th overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Stewart’s production on the field wasn’t eye-popping, but his performance at the NFL combine shot him up draft boards. Entering the event, he was considered one of the biggest traits-over-production players available.
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Evaluating Stewart strictly on his stats doesn’t tell the full story. In three seasons at Texas A&M, Stewart finished with 65 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble. By comparison, players like Tennessee defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. and Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku — both of whom rank below Stewart on Yahoo Sports’ NFL Draft big board — outproduced the Texas A&M pass rusher in college.
Those are unfair comparisons, as both Ezeiruaku and Pearce are listed as edge rushers, but they illustrate how far Stewart’s numbers fall short. Ezeiruaku racked up an astonishing 16.5 sacks just last season, obliterating Stewart’s career total at Texas A&M. Pearce had 10 sacks in 2023 and 7.5 sacks in 2024, giving him two seasons with better production than Stewart showed all throughout college.
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The NFL combine is where Stewart really opened the eyes of evaluators. Stewart ranked second among edge rushers in both the 10-yard split and vertical jump. He ranked third among edge rushers with a 4.59 second 40-yard dash, and he ranked first among edge rushers in the broad jump.
His RAS score, which attempts to measure a player’s athletic ability among players at the same position, was a perfect 10.00.
RAS score is far from perfect, but it accurately captures why Stewart was such an enticing prospect despite middling college production.
After drafting Stewart on Thursday, the Bengals will now be tasked with turning that athleticism into on-field production. If it all comes together, Stewart could develop into one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
If not, he’ll be a cautionary tale for any player whose combine production far outweighs their on-field numbers.
