As the game of football changes at the college level, so do the types of prospects that enter the talent pool in the NFL draft. Players like Texas A&M EDGE Shemar Stewart used to be a rare build at 6051, 281 pounds with 34 1/4-inch arms, but it’s becoming increasingly common to see players with his size, length, and athletic profile. But what is their best fit at the next level?
He has the ideal length to be a 5-tech in a 3-4 defensive system, but he is at least 10 pounds shy of being able to hold up there. If you ask Stewart himself, he is versatile and can play various alignments.
“I feel like anywhere from five-tech to nine is where I feel most comfortable,” Stewart told me in an interview during the 2025 Senior Bowl media lunch.
I pressed him further on the topic, wondering if any teams have spoken with him about adding a little weight to hold up as a 3-4 DE at 5-tech.
“For a whole game, I don’t know. I don’t think I’m lanky, but I’m not huge,” Stewart said while confirming there have been zero talks about him adding weight coming from any NFL teams.
It sounds like his best fit will likely be as an end in an even front, where he can play a range of alignments from five-tech to nine rather than three-tech to five.
Because of his size and athleticism, he is being viewed as a potential day-one player in this draft, but his college production doesn’t necessarily support that idea. He had just 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in three seasons. He knows that he must improve his ability to finish plays.
“Improve on the most? I would probably say finishing because I feel like that’s a big part of the league,” Stewart said. “You gotta finish the play.”
Every pass rusher has a fastball or a pass rush move that they build everything off of. For Stewart, that’s power.
“Power. I just feel like if I use power, it opens up everything,” Stewart said. “I don’t think nobody could stop my power if I do everything right.”
Here he is abusing Logan Brown in a one-on-one with his speed to power bull rush, via Bobby Football on X.
If there’s one quarterback that Stewart wants to sack at the next level, it’s Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.
“I would say Lamar Jackson. He’s the home-state hero, so Lamar Jackson,” Stewart said.
He seems like an odd fit for the Steelers’ defensive front, but Mike Tomlin was watching closely when Stewart worked during Senior Bowl practices.
Tomlin was all over the defensive line group on both teams throughout the week. I asked Stewart about having Tomlin standing over him like that.
“I feel like that’s a privilege because if he wasn’t interested, he wouldn’t have been there,” Stewart said. “Of course, I see it, but I can’t just fanboy over it, so I just try to keep my composure and don’t mess up the drill.”
He confirmed that he interacted with Tomlin on the field and met with the Steelers while in Mobile.
Stewart has lofty goals for himself, and he made them very clear.
“Defensive rookie player of the year,” Stewart told me.
