It’s that time of the year where the NFL Combine hypes up players that may have a lot of upside. Physicals are good, but they don’t tell the story and often we get wrapped up in 40-yard dash times or body-wide comparisons that we forget playing the game is different than looking the part.
That couldn’t be more relevant than in the latest “Myles Garrett” comparison in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft class, which is deep with pass rushers. Shemar Stewart out of Texas A&M has been hyped up for quite some time as an elite prospect.
And comparing him to Garrett is a dangerous game. Garrett is on his way to becoming a future Hall of Famer and has been terrorizing defenses since he too left Texas A&M to be the No. 1 overall pick to the Cleveland Browns.
As similar as they may look, there’s a key difference. Garrett had 32.5 sacks coming out of college; Stewart has just 4.5. That’s a major difference and why the physicals don’t tell the full story.
Shemar Stewart’s comparison to Myles Garrett is a tall task and unfair for a player right out of college
It’s a pretty tall task to get a comparison to a player like Garrett. After all, he came into the NFL as a tank that’s lived up to every expectation he had coming into the league. Stewart on the other hand, isn’t quite as good of a prospect as Garrett was.
For one, Stewart isn’t the best pass rusher in the draft. Abdul Carter is far and away the best rusher in the class. And though Mike Green has some character issues, he had the most sacks in the FBS this past season with 17.
The best thing for Stewart is his physicals. He’s a talented player, but comparing him to Myles Garrett may be too aggressive of a comparison. While they may look the same coming out of college, Garrett was far more destructive.
I think Stewart is a good prospect and should be a first-round pick. But let’s not let his size tell the full story. Look at how many “fast” receivers had their draft stock bolstered at the NFL combine, just to fizzle out after a few seasons.
Stewart has the potential to be a decent NFL player, but let’s hold off on comparing him to the best pass rusher in the NFL right now until we see how he measures up against NFL offensive lineman.