CINCINNATI — Sports Illustrated's Matt Verdarame is not necessarily a believer in Shemar Stewart's NFL future. He ranked Stewart as the second-most likely prospect to bust from this class, just behind the Browns' Shedeur Sanders.
Cincinnati selected Stewart with the 17th overall pick.
"Stewart is a freak of an athlete," Verdarame wrote. "At 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds, Stewart torched the scouting combine with a 4.59 40 time. However, the question surrounding Stewart throughout his three years with the Aggies is: Where has the production been?
"Stewart played 37 games in College Station and notched just 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. If the traits can turn into numbers and impact, the Bengals should be thrilled about landing Stewart at pick No. 17. However, if he continues to struggle finding results despite obvious talent, Cincinnati could be wondering why it didn’t grab a more polished defender at such a premium spot."
Stewart has been a divisive pick in the NFL community over the entire draft cycle, with a skeleton key possibly waiting for him at Paycor Stadium. Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery and defensive coordinator Al Golden have developed great talents in the past and Stewart is one of their latest projects.
He has one of the highest ceilings of any player in the class, and what appears to be the right mentality to get as close to it as possible.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bengals/ as Sports Illustrated Names Bengals Draft Pick Shemar Stewart Among Most Likely 2025 Busts.