Quick Scout: Shemar Stewart

Defensive end Shemar Stewart is one of the early favorites to be picked by the Packers in the first round of April’s draft—at least according to the innumerable mock drafts that pop up every winter like daffodils in the spring.

At first glance, it’s easy to understand why so many draftniks see Stewart going in round 1. The former Texas A&M star is a physical specimen. He’s 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds and looks almost lean in his pads. He plays on his feet with good balance and outstanding strength to set the edge. He was a force against the run.

Unfortunately, Stewart’s tape isn’t nearly as impressive when rushing the quarterback. He had only 4.5 sacks in three seasons at A&M—a number that most highly drafted defensive linemen procure in seven or eight games. And it wasn’t like Stewart was getting a lot of pressure but just not finishing. More often than not, he was nowhere near the quarterback, even against tackles who won’t be playing on Sunday.

A defensive end who’s better against the run than the pass would be a redundancy in Green Bay. After all, the Packers already have plenty of those types in Rashan Gary, Kingsley Enagbare, and Lukas Van Ness. But don’t discount Stewart’s name being written down by the Packers on the night of April 24. General manager Brian Gutekunst loves big guys who look great at the Combine, and Stewart will look great.

If Stewart winds up a Packer, fans better hope that new defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington is very good at his job. Van Ness, the 13th pick in the 2023 draft, showed next to no growth as a pass rusher in his two seasons under Covington’s predecessor, Jason Rebrovich, who was fired last month. And based on their college tape, Van Ness came into the NFL with more skills as a pass rusher than Stewart.