Tim Twentyman

Name:Shemar Stewart

Position:Edge

School:Texas A&M

Ht/Wt:6-5, 267

40-yard dash:4.59 seconds

Bench:Did not bench

Vertical:40 inches

Broad:10-foot-11

3-cone:Did not run

20-yard shuttle:Did not run

How he fits:Stewart is the kind of long, athletic defensive end the Lions like along the edge of their defense. He's got a terrific length and his athletic traits really jumped out at the Combine, specifically the explosion he showed with a 40-inch vertical.

His sack production wasn't what teams typically like to see from a first-round edge player (4.5 sacks in three seasons) but watch the tape and you'll see he affects the passer a ton. He sets a good edge in the run game, which is a prerequisite to get on the field in Dan Campbell's defense.

Overall, his body type, athletic traits and upside would fit the Lions as a rotational and depth piece upfront with the opportunity to turn into a quality starter on the edge. He also has some experience bumping inside, which the Lions value with their defensive linemen.

Key observations:Stewart's 88.2 run-defense grade in 2024 ranked fifth among all edge defenders, per Pro Football Focus, with only Marshall'sMike Greenposting a higher mark (90.2) among projected first rounders. Stewart logged just 106 true pass sets last season, ranking 74th in the draft class, which could explain some of his lack of sack production.

What they had to say about him:"Stewart explodes out of his stance and is capable of creating immediate knockback or winning high side with upfield burst/flexibility. He is the type of prospect who will test the "traits over production" slogan to which many NFL teams subscribe, as he never had more than 1.5 sacks in any of his three seasons.

"However, his tape shows a far more disruptive player than his numbers suggest he led the Aggies in pressures (39) in 2024." - Dan Brugler, The Athletic

How he stacks up:Brugler is very high on Stewart, ranking him as his No. 9 overall prospect in the class in hisinitial listof the Top 100 players in the draft.

NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah lists Stewart as his No. 27 overall prospect on hismost recent versionof his Top 50 players in the class. NFL.com lead writer Eric Edholm puts Stewart at No. 15 on hislistof the 100 Top Players.

"Workout warrior whose college production (4.5 sacks in three years at Texas A&M) is a turnoff, but Stewart easily could take the Danielle Hunter road to success as an NFL edge," Edholm wrote.

NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks has alistof the Top 5 players at every position in the class and Stewart comes in at No. 5 among true defensive ends behind Nic Scourton (Texas A&M), Jack Sawyer (Ohio State), Landon Jackson (Arkansas) and Princely Umanmielen (Mississippi).

ESPN's Matt Miller has Stewart at No. 21 on hislistof the Top 50 prospects. Jordan Reid has Stewart at No. 18 in hisTop 50 prospectsin the class.

"Stewart had only 4.5 sacks in three seasons, but his time to first pressure this past season (2.43 seconds) was No. 1 in the FBS. He is a toolsy prospect who has rushed off the edge and inside and could be a better pro than college player," Reid said.

ESPN's Field Yates lists Stewart at No. 14 on hisBig Boardof the Top 32 prospects in the class.

What he had to say:"I wasn't a sack-chasing warrior," Stewart said at the Combine of his sack production. "I just wanted to become the best player for my team. And sometimes the stats don't show that. Definitely trying to get more comfortable and get after the quarterback, trying to run through the tackle instead of maybe trying to reach out, lunging for a tackle.

"Staying disciplined is a big thing for defense, at the end of the day, if one person on defense isn't doing his job, then the whole defense is screwed. Sometimes you just got to play your gap, be your role and somebody else is going to make the play and somebody else is going to shine. And that's perfectly fine."