Stewart, listed at 6-foot-5, 267 pounds, was ranked by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler as the No. 3 edge rusher in this draft class and the ninth best prospect overall. However, he’s more of a high ceiling option than a high floor pick.
A one-year starter at A&M, Stewart is widely considered a “traits over production” type of pick, as he never had more than 1.5 sacks in any of his three seasons with the Aggies even though his tape shows a far more disruptive player. He led his team with 39 pressures in 2024. The Bengals just need him to become a finisher, but the potential is there.
Cincinnati needed to add to its pass rush after a tremendous dropoff in production after Trey Hendrickson’s 17.5 sacks. The Bengals brought back Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample and are still counting on 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy developing into a finisher.
Stewart will add to the mix and potentially could be a planned replacement for Hendrickson down the road, as his contract situation remains up in the air after this year.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Bengals have five picks remaining in the NFL draft, including:
Round 2: No. 17 (49 overall).
Round 3: No. 17 (81 overall).
Round 4: No. 17 (119 overall).
Round 5: No. 17 (153 overall).
Round 6: No. 17 (193 overall).
The franchise traded its seventh round pick in this year’s draft for Khalil Herbert, who was acquired from the Bears last season.
About the Author