Shemar Stewart was selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, No. 17 overall, by the Cincinnati Bengals to pair with defending-sack leader Trey Hendrickson. The idea was that the freak athlete, despite his lack of production at the college level, would be developed into a major weapon for Al Golden’s defense.
Best laid plans.
Not only is Stewart on IR, but Russ Heltman points out, his 36.9 pass-rushing grade, per PFF, is the lowest of 120 qualified edge rushers. Not only that, but his 36.9 overall grade is among the lowest of any rookie defensive player.
Stewart had an extremely high pass-rushing grade in Week 1 (78.2), but he’s only averaged a 51.35 in the four games he’s played since. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 and didn’t come back until Week 7, but was pretty ineffective in the three games he played before he went on IR.
The Bengals have an abysmal recent track record of drafting impact players on the defensive side of the ball, and Stewart joins a long list of early-round draft picks who underwhelm. It’s likely too early to say the rookie, who has only played in five games, is a bust.
However, Stewart hasn’t done anything on the field to prove to a Bengals fan base that is already justifiably angry that he’s not.
Hopefully, things turn around for the rookie.
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