
CINCINNATI — Former NFL All-Pro and future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Luke Kuechly, appeared on Up & Adams with Kay Adams this week and declared Shemar Stewart has the highest ceiling of any defensive end in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati selected Stewart with the 17th pick last Thursday. Kuechly thinks he could be the best true defensive end in this cycle.
"His ceiling for edge rushers, as a true defensive end, I think is the best in the draft," Kuechly told Adams about the former Texas A&M star. "I kind of exclude Abdul Carter because he's more of a stand-up outside linebacker. But I think Shemar's ceiling out of anybody in the draft is the highest because of his raw athletic ability, physicality, length, explosiveness. If they can figure that out, he's gonna be a really good player."
Kuechly was a game-wrecking middle linebacker for the Panthers last decade and knows what it takes to be a great defender in the NFL.
Stewart's physical traits have gotten plenty of love as one of the rare players in draft history to earn a 10/10 Relative Athletic Score, now we'll see how well that athleticism translates to NFL games.
"His ceiling as a true defensive end.... is the best in the draft." 📈📈📈
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) April 28, 2025
Luke Kuechly on @Bengals Edge Shemar Stewart @UpAndAdamsShow @ShemarStewart14
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bengals/ as 'Best In The Draft' - Former NFL All-Pro Luke Kuechly Details Shemar Stewart's NFL Ceiling With Bengals.