Steve Palazzolo cautioned fantasy managers and bettors not to assume Shemar Stewart will blossom into a high-end pass rusher. Palazzolo emphasized that despite elite traits, Stewart never topped two sacks in a season and his pressure rate remains below recent first-round benchmarks like Rashan Gary, Tyree Wilson, and Travon Walker. He also flagged poor change-of-direction skills and an alarming tendency to whiff tackles, warning that those flaws could cap Stewart’s early snap counts and stunt his sack totals. Until the rookie proves he can convert athleticism into consistent production, Palazzolo advised fading Bengals D/ST futures and avoiding Stewart in IDP drafts outside deep stash territory.

Sam Monson said Shemar Stewart’s eye-popping power should translate right away for Cincinnati’s defensive front. Monson highlighted Stewart’s 34-inch arms, 84-inch wingspan, 4.59 forty, 1.58 ten-yard split, and 40-inch vertical as rare measurables that fuel an "absolutely devastating" bull rush. He believes that sheer linear explosiveness will let the rookie forklift NFL tackles into the quarterback even if Stewart never develops a secondary move. Monson expects immediate disruption versus both run and pass, projecting Stewart as an IDP sack/pressure streamer and a reason to upgrade the Bengals D/ST ceiling in season-long formats.

Jonathan Jones said the Chargers are zeroed in on Texas A&M edge Shamar Stewart at pick 22. Stewart is 6‑6/280 with 34.5‑inch arms, an 82‑inch wingspan, a 1.62 ten‑yard split and a 35‑inch vert—prototype numbers for Jim Harbaugh’s first draft in L.A. The concern is production: he never logged more than two sacks in a season, yet his 13 % pressure rate and consistent pocket collapse pop on tape. With Joey Bosa released and Khalil Mack turning 33, Los Angeles finished 27th in pressure rate over the final eight games of 2024; Jones believes DC Jesse Minter will bet on finishing moves developing quickly. He likened the swing to the 49ers’ Aldon Smith pick in 2011 and advised bettors to play Stewart Under 26.5 draft slot since the Chargers have him as EDGE2 and do not plan to wait until Round 2.

Pat Mayo settled on Shemar Stewart for Cincinnati at 17, arguing the Bengals can no longer ignore defensive‑line depth after ranking 28th in pressure rate once Trey Hendrickson left the field last year. Stewart’s 6‑6, 285‑pound frame gives Lou Anarumo both a base‑end and reduced‑front interior rusher; the Texas A&M product generated 38 pressures on just 305 pass‑rush snaps and posted a 9.23 RAS despite his size. Mayo pointed out that several books still price Stewart firmly in the 20‑to‑25 range yet list him as low as +250 to be the Bengals’ first selection—evidence the market has not reconciled those two numbers. He recommended betting Stewart’s draft‑slot Under and sprinkling on CIN‑Stewart exact‑match props while the mismatch exists.