Welcome Shamar Stewart

[*Synric*]

Here is Dane Brugler's write up for Shemar Stewart in The Beast.

Quote: EDGE3 Shemar Stewart Texas A&M,

BACKGROUND: Shemar Stewart, who is of Jamaican descent, was born in the Miami area to his parents (Latoya and Ansell). His grandmother (Margaret Sterling) played a significant hand raising Stewart, who also has a father-son relationship with Moe Marquez, his former defensive line coach in high school. Marquez became Stewart's mentor — both he and his wife refer to Stewart as a son, and their two young children look up to Stewart as an older brother. Despite being a bigger kid, Stewart "never really thought about playing sports" until age 12, when a teacher convinced him to give football a chance. Often being the last kid picked in sixth-grade gym class at Ives Estates Park in Miami motivated Stewart to reach his athletic potential. His attitude toward football and training changed significantly after that time, and he started to get noticed by recruiters near the end of his middle school days. Stewart played on both the of f ensive and defensive lines for the Hialeah Cougars as an eighth-grader at North Miami Beach Optimist. He also developed into a talented basketball player and competed for the West Park Saints.

Stewart enrolled at Monsignor Edward Pace High, a Catholic school in Miami Gardens. He saw varsity snaps as a 6-foot-4, 215-pound freshman defensive end and blew up immediately on the recruiting trail. As a sophomore, Stewart posted 48 tackles and 15 sacks in 10 games, helping Pace to the 4A state playof f s. He was teammates his junior season with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (who later transferred to Chaminade-Madonna and then signed with Ohio State), but Stewart played in only two games because of injuries (sprained AC joint and bone bruise in his knee) and the COVID-19 pandemic. As a senior, he earned all-state and all-county honors with 85 tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. Stewart received an invitation to the 2022 Under Armour All-America Game. He also lettered in basketball at Pace, averaging double-digit rebounds per game, and set the school record with a 613-pound deadlift.

A five-star recruit, Stewart was the third-ranked defensive lineman (behind Walter Nolen and Mykel Williams) in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 1 recruit in Florida. He was a consensus top-10 recruit nationally. During his freshman year, Stewart's through-the-roof potential reached legendary status, and his recruitment took of f . He received his first of f er from Pittsburgh and collected more than 15 of f ers before the start of his sophomore year, including from Florida, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and his hometown Miami, the program for which he rooted as a child. Several other top programs (LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame) entered the picture during his sophomore year. Going into his senior year, he announced a top five of Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State and Texas A&M.

After being hired as Miami's head coach in December 2021, Mario Cristobal made Stewart his first call and unleashed a full-court press to keep the local product home. But Stewart's connection with the Texas A&M coaching staf f led him to commit elsewhere. (His parents also wanted him to leave the area to avoid any temptations.) Stewart was the third-ranked player in former head coach Jimbo Fisher's famed 2022 class, which included eight five-star recruits — five of them on the defensive line (of the five, only Stewart finished his college career with the Aggies). After three seasons in College Station, Stewart decided to skip his senior year and enter the NFL Draft. He opted out of Texas A&M's 2024 bowl game and accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS:
● Rare athletic balance and fluidity for a 285-pounder
● Explosive of f the ball with the flexibility to turn the corner and flatten
● Uses long arms and natural power to stab and separate from initial blocks
● Able to shake free with a cross-chop, club-rip or a variety of dif f erent swipes
● Rangy player and doesn't labor in transitions, allowing him to chase down ball carriers
● Smart contain player and sets a hard edge
● Uses wide base and body flexibility to root himself at the point of attack (rarely pushed out of his gap)
● Lateral quickness helps him blow up backside runs
● Surprises pulling blockers and ball carriers with closing burst
● Plays his butt of f for all four quarters and competes with competitive edge (nickname is "The Menace")
● Versatile skill set, which allows him to play multiple positions up front (three-/4i-/five-/seven-technique)

WEAKNESSES:
● Major finishing issues (26.9 percent missed tackle rate in college)
● Struggles to break down on the move and stay under control as tackler (too many fly-by misses)
● Move-to-move sequencing as a pass rusher is still in the development phase
● Can get caught upright at times and spends too much time hand fighting, leaving him late to react to the run
● Basement-level sack production (4.5 sacks on 680 career pass rush snaps)

SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Texas A&M, Stewart lined up primarily as an edge rusher in head coach Mike Elko's four-man front, also spending time head-up over the tackle and inside over the B-gap. He is the type of prospect who will test the "traits over production" slogan that NFL teams subscribe to, as he never had more than 1.5 sacks in any of his three seasons in College Station. However, his tape shows a far more disruptive player — he led the Aggies in pressures (39) in 2024.

Stewart explodes out of his stance and is capable of creating immediate knockback or winning high-side with upfield burst/flexibility. His counter measures require maintenance, although he finds a lot of success based on his initial swipe or long-arm move. The No. 1 area in which he needs to improve is as a finisher. He has the athleticism to get to the ball but has no business missing as many tackles as he does, especially given his power and movements.

Overall, Stewart needs to mature his rush ef f i ciency and finishing skills, but he has a rare combination of talent and motor to be a game-wrecker against both the pass and the run. His best football is ahead of him.

GRADE: 1st round (No. 9 overall)