Texas A&M EDGE Projected to Aid the Worst Pass-Rushing Team in the NFL

Shemar Stewart was mocked at No. 15 to the Atlanta Falcons, who are last in the NFL in sacks over the past five years. With the Falcons needing pass-rushing right away, Stewart would likely be set to be an immediate contributor the Falcons defense. With Falcons HC Raheem Morris being a former DC, he could be primed to unlock the sky-high potential of Stewart. Stewart is projected as someone who should be an even better NFL player than he ever was as an Aggie.

While Stewart’s stats have never particularly jumped off of the page, his impact as an elite edge rusher has allowed teammates Shemar Turner and Nic Scourton (who was also projected in the first round to the Detroit Lions - you can read more about it here. Stewart had 31 total tackles with 6 TFL and 1.5 sacks last season for the Aggies, and has a true pass rush win rate of 22% according to PFF. As well, he had a 23.8% positive grade against the run, which ranks 2nd in the class. As well, he was among the highest graded edge rushers during Senior Bowl practices in Mobile. So, while traditional stats can tell somewhat of a story, his elite athleticism and overall impact on the game is hard to measure using them, and PFF helps to tell more of the reason why he’s ranked so highly among NFL draft prospects. 

For other drafts, Stewart could be expected to go to a few other NFL teams - the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers being prime examples. Overall, Aggies fans can expect Stewart’s name to be called on Day 1 of the NFL Draft and for him to make a huge impact for an NFL team.