The Cincinnati Bengals had their shot at filling a major defensive need with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. And instead of going with one of the more proven, stat-stuffing edge rushers on the board, they went with potential.
The Bengals selected Shemar Stewart, the Texas A&M defensive end who looks like he was built in a lab, but the play on the field would state otherwise.
The ESPN College GameDay crew didn’t hold back either. The second Stewart’s name was called, the conversation shifted from “this guy has all the tools” to “but has he ever actually used them?”
Kirk Herbstreit, who’s seen Stewart up close more than once, summed it up with a brutal bit of honesty: “I called a bunch of his games. He’s the guy you want getting off the bus first. Looks like an absolute monster. But once the game starts… you just don’t notice him.” Ouch.
Nick Saban didn’t disagree. The former Alabama head coach and now full-time analyst said that it wasn't due to a "lack of effort." “It’s not that he doesn’t try. He works. But the development just never happened."
Desmond Howard called Stewart a "project," which is never something you want to hear of your first-round selection.
For a guy with just 4.5 sacks in 37 career games, that’s a tough look—especially when you consider how many other pass rushers were still on the board. The Bengals had their pick of other edge talent — or filling another need to help Joe Burrow — but instead, they banked on what Stewart might become in the future. That's fine to do in the mid-rounds or later-rounds, but in the first-round?
Stewart looks like a top-10 pick, but plays like someone you take a flyer on in the third round, hoping maybe you can coach him up. But in Round 1? At 17 overall? That’s a big swing. It could pay off, sure, but it’s the kind of gamble that gets people fired if it doesn’t.
To be fair, Cincinnati does have a need. They may be moving on from Trey Hendrickson, and the defensive front needs bodies—ideally, bodies that can get to the quarterback. The problem is that Stewart didn't do that a whole lot in his collegiate career.