Shemar Stewart- 6 Things To Know About Eagles Draft Prospect
Even last year, Edge Rusher depth was an issue for the Eagles. Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith were both playing a massive amount of snaps along the way. Josh Sweat likely leaving makes the need for another Edge even greater. Could Shemar Stewart out of Texas A&M be the answer?
Here Are 5 Things You Should Know About Shemar Stewart
1) Dominated The Combine
If anyone was going to raise their draft stock at the Combine, it was Shemar Stewart. He did not disappoint.
Here are some of his results from the combine.
- 40 Yard Dash- 4.49 (4th Best Among DL)
- 10-Yard Split- 1.58 (3rd Best)
- Verticle Jump- 40″ (2nd Best)
- Broad Jump- 10′ 11″ (Best)
He tweaked his hamstring during the 40, so he did not get to compete in the 3 cone or shuttle drills. But based on all available information he would have crushed those drills too.
Mind you, he put up these numbers while being 6ft5 and 267 pounds. He is 1 inch taller and 5 lbs lighter than former Aggie Myles Garrett and put up better numbers at the combine than him. He was 281 Lbs at the Senior Bowl, but clearly slimmed down for the Combine. His combination of size, speed, and athleticism, gave him the 3rd best Relative Atheltic Score (RAS) for a DL in NFL History.
RAS looks to take all of a player’s measurables (height, weight, wingspan, hand size, drill performances) and boil them down to a score that falls between 0 and 10. Stewart got a 9.9.
2) Production Does Not Match The Ability
Stewart is freaky big, freaky strong, and freaky fast. But does any of that matter if you do not get results? In 3 years at Texas A&M, he only accumulated 4.5 sacks and 12 Tackles For Loss. Poor production for someone who could be a 1st Round Pick.
But Stewart would not be the 1st player to be drafted high without much stats to back it up. Travon Walker had 9.5 sacks and 13 Tackles For Loss in 3 seasons, and he went 1st overall. Nolan Smith racked up only 11.5 sacks in 4 seasons. Both players have become productive since, though both had disappointing rookie seasons.
NFL teams are constantly projecting player’s traits into the NFL. Just because you are not productive in College, does not mean you can’t later become productive. And the raw stats do not always reflect true production on the field.
3) College Play Was Better Than The Stats Show
So the raw stats were not impressive. But Eagles fans just watched Jalen Carter be far more productive than his stats suggest, though his stats were still impressive. The point is, just because you don’t finish plays, does not mean you did not impact plays. And Stewart did manage to impact plays despite his poor raw production.
His Pass Rush Win rate of 13.2% actually falls on the lower end of what the average 1st Round Defensive Lineman offers. It is slightly below average, but it is not unusual for someone who goes in the 1st round. He is also 6th in Hurries Per Pass Rush.
Stewart had a chance to address the low production while at the Combine and gave a pretty reasonable answer.
“I wasn’t a sack-chasing warrior. I just wanted to become the best player for my team. Sometimes the stats don’t show that. It’s more individual. Sometimes I have the play dead to rights and couldn’t finish or get there in time. Also, teams were not going to pass the ball against us. We had a stacked D-line and everybody knew better.”
All fair, and it does speak to him being a good teammate, who is more than just a stat chaser.
If you actually go and watch him play, there was explosiveness there. His explosiveness is not empty calories. it is just a matter of finding ways to hone it, and turning it into real production.
4) Showed Up Strong At the Senior Bowl
We know the Eagles love using the Senior Bowl to evaluate prospects. Quinyon Mitchell stole the show last year, and they took him. This year it was Shemar Stewart wowing scouts in Mobile.
Here is what Jeremy Fowler, who was at the Senior Bowl, wrote about Stewart’s performance there.
Out of all the first-round talents in Mobile, Stewart received the most “wow” responses. His burst for a 281-pounder is impressive.
“He stamped himself as the best player,” an NFL personnel evaluator said.
This further lends itself to the idea that his low stats do not reflect his true ability. he is not just one of those WRs who can run really fast so people overvalue him. He is not John Ross. He flashed real potential as an Edge Defender. And that was evident at the Senior Bowl.
5) Might Have Worked His Way Out Of The Eagles Range
The problem might be that his great Combine and Senior Bowl performance could have killed the Eagles chances to land him. When the draft process started, he was projected to be a late 1st, early 2nd round pick. But it is easy to see him shooting up draft boards. teams could easily fall in love with the traits.
The same was thought of Nolan Smith a couple of years ago, and he still obviously fell to pick 31. He also had a knock of being undersized and unproductive over his head though. Travon Walker shot all the way up to the 1st overall pick in his draft after it became clear how great his traits were.
All that said, no one thought Quinyon Mitchell would be there for the Eagles last year, and he was. Jalen Carter somehow fell into the laps too. The Eagles just have a knack for players falling to them. So maybe that happens again. If the Eagles want him, they will just have to hope the lack of production hurts him on draft night.
6) Made A Promise To Teams That Pass Over Him
So what does Stewart think of the fact teams might overlook him because the stats were not there in College? He gave them a quite clear message when he spoke to the media.
“If you don’t pick me, just know I’m bringing hell to your city.”– Shemar Stewart
You have to love that attitude. Sports history is full of examples where great players hold a grudge like that.
Stewart is known for his big personality. It was one of the things Jimbo Fisher praised about him when Stewart first committed to Texas A&M.
“And on top of that, he’s a better person than he is player. I mean, great fun to be around, great personality, very intelligent young man. Has got a great future ahead of him.”
It tracks with the quote I used from him earlier in the article where he wanted to be a team player, and not just someone who chases personal stats.
Listen To Or Watch ‘The Best Show Ever?’ Live On The 97.5 The Fanatic And On NBC Sports Philly From 2 To 6 p.m. every Weekday
Ranking All 14 Eagles Head Coaches In Super Bowl Era
8- Rick Kotite- 1991-1994 (36-28)
Kotite is literally the standard for bad coaching in both Philly and New York. When it started to fall apart for Doug Pederson, and later when Sirianni had his down year, Kotite is who people compared them to.
Yes he won a playoff game. But after that, it was a disaster. He started out 1994 7-2, and the future seemed bright. Then he imploded, lost the last 7 games of the season, and finished last in the NFC East. New owner Jeffrey Lurie fired him, and that was it for Kotite in Philly. It got no better for him in his next job with the Jets.
7- Chip Kelly- 2013-2015 26-11
No head coach had a better start to their career than Chip Kelly. His first season had Eagles fans worshipping him. We convinced ourselves he was a genius who was going to change the game. Then the league adjusted to his scheme, and he had no answers. After getting them to the playoffs in year 1, he never got back and got fired before the end of year 3.
What makes him more hated, is how he pushed out talented players. They bled talent all 3 seasons he was there. Desean Jackson has a career year, he gets cut for nothing. LeSean McCoy gets traded a year later. His style and attitude wore people out fast. He got one more job with the 49ers after the Eagles fired him. They fired him after a single season. He is just lucky Rich Kotite exists or he would be lower on this list.
