It is no secret that the Arizona Cardinals have been linked to defensive lineman with their No. 16 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. Arizona has a unique opportunity to draft a player with high upside — one who may not boast overwhelming sack numbers but passes the “eye test.”
After a strong combine performance, Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart has improved his draft stock.
“He is the captain of the LTPers team — the look the parts team, because he’s cut 15 pounds from the Senior Bowl to the combine to get down to 265 or 264, to be specific, and still managed to run a 4.6 (second 40-yard dash) andjump 40 inches in a vertical and 11 feet or so in the broad jump,” ESPN’s Field Yates told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Thursday.
“So, they don’t make too many guyswith better physical traits than Shemar Stewart. It was no surprise that he had a great combineweek. I do think he’s going to go somewhere in the range of maybe as high as pick number eight to Carolina, maybe as low as pick number 19 to Tampa.”
Stewart recorded 4.5 sacks over three seasons at Texas A&M, which contributes to the 11-pick discrepancy of where Yates thinks he could potentially be drafted.
Stewart tweaked his hamstring while running the 40-yard dash at the combine, which caused him to miss positional workouts, according to NFL Network senior reporter Stacy Dales.
The Cardinals could hope that any lingering concerns from scouts could work in their favor, allowing Stewart to fall to their draft slot.
“And with the Cardinals’ need to continueto beef up the edge group, I think he will be a name that at least should be on their radar,” Yates said. “It’s going to take a bit of a leap of faith. It just is, you know, when you draft the guywith that little production in three college seasons.
“Fairly or unfairly, it puts a lot ofpressure on the scouting staff that makes that decision because there are going to be otherplayers that are available, who have done it at the college level, that there’s just a little bitmore certainty with those guys.”
Stewart did have his best statistical season in 2024, recording 14 solo tackles, 31 total tackles and six tackles for loss, all career highs. The defensive lineman also defended two passes and forced one fumble.
“That being said, Shemar Stewart, we might look back in three yearsfrom right now … And if you put that all together, you might say to yourself, ‘he was the best valuein the entire first round’ …the upside of Shemar Stewart is maybe as good as any pass rusher not named Abdul Carter in the entire draft,” Yates said.
Stewart’s size and athletic profile have led to comparisons with Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart recorded a 1.58-second 10-yard split (4.59o), tied for the second-fastest split by any defender over 265 pounds over the last 15 years.
Stewart has a similar size and athletic profile to Myles Garrett.
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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 28, 2025
Yates ranked Stewart as the 15th best player in his list of the top 32 prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. In positional rankings, Stewart is listed as the sixth-best lineman and fifth-best edge rusher.