Rams Draft Review: Josaiah Stewart is an Outlier

The Los Angeles Rams are a unique team, having built themselves into a championship contender through the NFL Draft and key veteran acquisitions. This is also a team that went through the retirement of Aaron Donald and was able to fill his multiple roles with their young defense that has taken the league by storm.

This year's NFL Draft class may present another opportunity to construct the depth of the roster and potential immediate impact contributors. The Rams have seen their rookies in recent years become high impact players in year one and this rookie class could do the same.

One of those players that could make an immediate impact as a rookie is third-round draft choice and Michigan Wolverines edge rusher Josaiah Stewart, who is a bit of an outlier.

What is that outlier? Stewart is only 6-foot-1, 249 pounds with over 31-inch arms and a 79-inch wingspan. He's a smaller pass rusher compared to his counterparts across the league who are 6-foot-5, 260-plus pounds.

Yet, Stewart plays much bigger than his size suggests. He's a savvy player who is very slippery at the point of attack, where he can dip and bend around opposing tackles for plays in the backfield. It helps that he has a non-stop motor that allows him to play through the whistle and never backs down from a fight against larger competition.

Stewart is going to have natural leverage and lower, yet advantageous strike zone that allows him to utilize great explosiveness and quickness to win the point of attack. As a pass rusher, the former Coastal Carolina and Michigan standout offers an ample array of rush counters that allow him to be an impactful rusher early and often. You will see long arms, speed-to-power, clubs, rips, swim, etc, which makes him that much more impactful.