2025 NFL Draft Profile: Josaiah Stewart, Michigan

Josaiah Stewart 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Position: Edge rusher
College: Michigan
Hometown: Bronx, New York
Class: Senior
Height: 6” 1”
Weight: 249 pounds
Arm Length: 31 7/8 inches
Hand Size: 9 1/2 inches

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2025 NFL Draft: Josaiah Stewart Scouting Profile

Josaiah Stewart heading into the 2025 NFL Draft was a productive player who worked his way up from playing and producing at a high level; both in the Group of Five Sun Belt Conference for Coastal Carolina to contributing to a national championship team at Michigan after the 2023 season. Stewart is a player with a lust for contact, and he will be aggressive from snap to whistle. He is a straight-level speed rusher with a first step to win at the top of the rush, yet has the power to bull rush tackles who play too much off his feet. Stewart is a bit undersized for the position, which leads him to be engulfed by linemen on certain plays, and his pass rush moves are too predictable, but he is violent at the point of attack and has good closing speed.

Stewart was named Second-team All-Big Ten in 2024, recording 33 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. At Coastal Carolina, Stewart was named First-team All-Sun Belt Conference, a Freshman All-American, and was awarded the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in 2021. Stewart is ranked No. 73 in NFL Draft analyst Eric Edholm’s Top 100 rankings.

Strengths

• Productive in two different schools and has shown to produce more as the level of competition increases.
• Plays with aggression and a high motor.
• Strong momentum executing bull rushes and accelerates to the target with his closing speed.
• Long strides consistently keep tackles on his heels on the pass rush.
• Has a strong first punch and plays with good leverage.
• Experience playing in zone coverage as an outside linebacker.

Weaknesses

• Undersized in height and arm length.
• Loses sight of ball carriers when setting the edge.
• He often over-pursues scrambling quarterbacks with his linear pursuit.
• Can get engulfed at times by bigger linemen when they get a clear advantage.
• Needs to diversify his pass-rushing repertoire; he runs too straightforward and does not have enough spin or rip moves.

NFL Comparison: Arnold Ebiketie

Teams With a Need at the Position: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Commanders.

Draft Projection: Second-Third Round

Bottom Line on Josaiah Stewart

Josaiah Stewart is a player that can play a role as a situational pass rusher, penetrating run defender, or a spy in the second level of the defense. With his experience playing in coverage, Stewart is best suited to be an outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense that allows him to be a pass rusher in passing situations. In this defense, he can run and pursue without offensive linemen getting chances at clean blocks. If Stewart can refine his coverage skills as a linebacker, and he has the physical tools and demeanor to do so, he can be a chess piece on a team’s front seven, both on running and passing downs.