Shemar Stewart is a Mixed Bag on Game Film

First Round Mock’s NFL Draft Analyst Rajvir Bal unpacks the game film of Texas A&M Defender Shemar Stewart, a lesser talked about prospect in this year’s draft class.

Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart declared for the 2025 NFL Draft on December 9 in an announcement on his X account.

I say ‘defensive lineman,’ because Stewart lines up inside and outside on the defensive line and he’s one of these prospects with insane raw potential.

For that reason, some team is likely to fall in love with him during the pre-draft workouts leading up to the draft that will be held in Green Bay on April 24-26.

Others might see him as someone who is overhyped due to his notable lack of production.

After reviewing Stewart’s game film, I’m falling somewhere in between.

Background

Stewart was a 5-star prospect out of high school and committed to Texas A&M in February of 2022. He was a two-sport athlete in football and basketball (247Sports).

Stats:

2023: 13 games played, 11 tackles (5 solo), 2 tackles for loss, 2 passes defended, 0 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1.5 sacks 

2024: 12 games played, 31 tackles (14 solo), 6 tackles for loss, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 0 fumble recoveries, and 1.5 sacks

#4 Shemar Stewart 6-foot-6, 294 pounds 
Rajvir Bal’s 2025 NFL Draft Grade: Second-Round (I would select him)
Projected by 32.3% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of January 23, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2024 game film reviewed: Notre Dame, Florida, and Missouri (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

Lack of Production

This is the most important part of this evaluation. Stewart lacked anything even reminiscent of high-level production while at Texas A&M. Over the past two seasons, he has recorded eight tackles for loss and three sacks. That’s not first, second, or even third-round level production.

This is concerning when I consider him lining up against NFL offensive tackles Trent Williams (49ers) or Tristan Wirfs (Bucs). Stewart consistently failed to get the best of college-level tackles.

Flashes of Brilliance

Stewart has flashes. While the majority of his game film was rather mediocre, every few minutes there was a play that made me jump out of my seat. His wingspan allows him to make some jaw-dropping reach tackles. Additionally, Stewart has great play recognition ability and can sniff out reverses and on an end-around like it’s nobody’s business. Sometimes he gets so disruptive that I have to ponder how is it I wasn’t putting a first-round grade on him.

Athleticism vs. Technique

The best players have a beautiful blend of athleticism and technique that allows them to dominate games.

That’s not Stewart.

He had great athleticism but lacked technique. Starting with athleticism, he was great at pursuing ball carriers and has a good short-end burst. His first step was killer and let him get by tackles quickly. However, because he isn’t refined, he often struggles to get off blocks. When he does manage to do so, he is subpar at finishing sacks and tackles for loss, which could partially explain his poor stats. His movements sometimes ended up with him flailing and unable to recover.

Effort?

Stewart can give up on plays too quickly which results in him not being in the right place. NFL GMs can’t overlook that, and I can almost guarantee they won’t.

Ten Adjectives

Inconsistent. Unpolished. Explosive. Undisciplined. Intriguing. Unproductive. Athletic. Erratic. Potential. Raw.

NFL Projection

Green Bay Packers

Philadelphia Eagles

Baltimore Ravens

Pro Comp: Lorenzo Carter

Carter was a third-round selection in 2018 out of Georgia and has logged 21.5 sacks in his first 7 NFL Seasons (Giants and Falcons).

Final thoughts

Stewart is a rotational defensive lineman who could end up starting for a few seasons. He’s a big-time ‘boom or bust’ prospect, who could have me eating my words, or he’ll be out of the league. Potential and raw athleticism are nothing without discipline.

Only time will tell.

Rajvir Bal is a high school student from the Virginia area. He grew up a rabid Washington Redskins fan, attending more than 30 games, and has enjoyed the team’s high points and low points throughout his life. He plays varsity football and basketball. Rajvir has taken an interest in the NFL Draft since middle school when his team picked Montez Sweat and Dwayne Haskins in the first round. His favorite NFL player ever flips between Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre, and his favorite athlete is LeBron James. He has been writing his own scouting reports since 2020, and is excited for the opportunities FirstRoundMock provides.