That’s three quotes from three different draft analysts about Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher and 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart’s strange lack of production in college despite his borderline freakish combination of size and speed.
Of course, the Bengals used No. 17 overall pick to Stewart. At this point in his career, he has two sacks to his name and has played in 12 total games.
Most damning, however, was the fact that he was a healthy scratch before the Bengals’ Week 7 win against the Ravens on the road in Baltimore, meaning he was fully healthy and available to the Bengals, and the coaching staff felt they had a better chance to win without him. Of course, he wasn’t the only player to be a healthy scratch, but he was the only first-round pick.
Stewart was active in Week 8, but only took six snaps.
It looks like it’s Stewart’s time to prove he’s worth the No. 17 overall picks have arrived.
Promising edge rusher and fellow Texas A&M Aggie Cashius Howell suffered a wrist injury that required surgery in their comeback win over the Ravens. The rookie, who took 185 defensive snaps before leaving in the third quarter against the Titans, which was the third most of any edge rusher on the roster behind Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy, leaves a big void.
Now, Stewart will be asked to help fill the void, which will finally give him a chance to prove the Bengals have earned it in 2025.
This is especially true considering Cedric Johnson (who took 104 snaps) also left the game against the Ravens. He was declared out after suffering an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. He is considered day-to-day, but that doesn’t mean he will be available or at 100% if he is on Sunday morning in Spain.
Stewart’s size and speed should make him a nightmare for many offensive tackles. Stewart’s potential as a pass rusher is why he was selected early despite little production. Hopefully, he can help the Bengals stay near the top in sacks in the league, even if they rarely blitz, which is a testament to their defensive line that Stewart will now look to bolster.