From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart.
#4 SHEMAR STEWART, DL, TEXAS A&M (JR) – 6060, 285 lbs.
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Shemar Stewart | 6060e/285e | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
— Good height and length
— Plus athleticism and good burst
— Effective power rusher with bull, stab, speed to bull
— Potential as a pass rusher is there
— Very good screen awareness
— Gets his hands into throwing lanes
— Quickness to split blocker in a 1-Gap scheme
— Ability to stack and shed in the run game
— Good effort to pursue the ball
— Just 21; plenty of room to grow physically and technically
The Bad
— Tight ankles, struggles to flatten to the quarterback around the arc
— Pass rush plan is unrefined; dances too much when not power rushing
— Marginal hand usage to counter when rushing
— Struggles to disengage from pass protectors
— Balance is marginal; legs don’t look steady under him
— Spends too much time on the ground
— Marginal ability to read the ball at the mesh point against the run
— Misses more tackles than you would like
— Angle of pursuit outside is too shallow; leading to diving and missed tackles
— Poor anchor vs double-team
Bio
— Career: 65 tackles, 30 solo, 12 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 4 PBU, 2 FR, 1 TD, 1 FF
— 2023: 31 tackles, 14 solo, 6 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 2 PBU, 1 FF
— 2024 All-SEC Third Team
— 37 games, 19 starts
— Senior Bowl invitee
— As a sophomore, he earned the Defensive Most Improved award
— As a freshman, he earned the Defensive Top Newcomer award
— 2022 Under Armour All-American
— Also played basketball in high school
— Birthday: 11/12/2003 (21)
Tape Breakdown
Shemar Stewart is a long, lean defensive lineman with good height, solid weight, and good length and athleticism. The junior played mostly at the defensive end position, lining up at the 3 tech, 5 tech, and 7 tech positions. They occasionally used him over the center on passing downs. He aligned on both sides of the formation and played in 2-, 3-, and 4-point stances.
Against the pass, he has very good snap quickness from a two-point stance and good quickness from other stances. He has good up field burst a good hand placement on his power rushes. Linearly, he can close on the quarterback quickly. The bull rush, speed to bull, and long arm/stab were his most effective ways of getting into the pocket. Other moves included the dip and rip, dip inside, and a cross chop. He consistently tried to get his hands up into passing lanes. On screens, he displays very good awareness and pursuit. On twists and stunts, he was solid as the penetrator.
He displays good hand placement on stabs and bull rushes.
Good awareness and pursuit on screens.
Against the run, he has solid mental processing and plays with a good pad level in one-on-one situations. When playing in a 1-gap scheme, he displays good quickness and burst to split the blockers and disrupt the backfield. In a 2-gap scheme, he has good hand placement and strength to stack and shed blockers to defend his gaps. He displays good effort to chase the ball across and downfield.
Stewart can get into the backfield in a flash.
Here, he is stacking and shedding the lineman to make a play.
High-effort player trying to get to the ball.
When rushing the passer, he displayed tight ankles not allowing him to bend around the top of the arc to flatten to the quarterback. When used as the 0 tech to rush the passer, he was ineffective. He went missing in some situations when he danced too much, lacking a pass-rush plan. When engaged with a pass blocker, he was marginal using his hands to counter and disengage. Also, he was too quick to get his hands up instead of trying to disengage. Overall, his balance is marginal, he can be knocked off his line easily, and he spends too much time on the ground.
He can beat tackles up the arc but doesn’t have the ankle flexion to bend around the corner.
Defending the run, he was marginal at the mesh point and indecisive, leading him to neither take the running back nor the quarterback. When taking on the puller, he often uses his outside shoulder to open up the edge. His tackling is just adequate, and he is unable to finish the play often. When chasing outside, his angles are too shallow, leading him to dive and miss tackles. Against double-team blocks, he has a poor anchor. His change of direction on the move is clunky.
Why only 4.5 career sacks? Trouble finishing the play.
Conclusion
Overall, Stewart has good size, with room to add 15-20 pounds of muscle and play strength. He is a good power rusher and has good up-field quickness. His awareness of screens is very good, and he makes the effort to get his hands in throwing lanes. Against the run, he displays the quickness to disrupt in a 1-gap scheme and the technique to stack and shed in a 2-gap scheme.
Areas to improve include his hand usage and ability to disengage when rushing the passer. Developing a more consistent pass-rush plan and adding strength to help with balance will help him stay on his feet. Understanding his role at the mesh point and improving his angles to the ball will help him to finish more plays and make more tackles.
He has youth and athleticism on his side, and he has plenty of room to improve. He can play in multiple schemes, but I think a one-gap scheme where he can use his quickness is best. His best fit is as an even-front defensive end, but with added bulk, he could play in an odd front. There is currently a first-round buzz for him, but that may be a little early.
For a player comp I’ll give you Tanoh Kpassagnon. He was a late second-round pick with a similar build with plus athleticism and raw ability who also had balance questions.
Projection: Mid-Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.2 – Second Round (Future Quality Starter)
Games Watched: 2024 – Vs Notre Dame, At Florida, Vs Arkansas, At South Carolina, Vs Texas
| Previous 2025 NFL Draft Player Profiles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB Jahdae Barron | DL Derrick Harmon | QB Quinn Ewers | RB Omarion Hampton | |
| RB RJ Harvey | EDGE Kyle Kennard | WR Luther Burden III | RB Ollie Gordon II | |
