The Cincinnati Bengals entered the 2025 NFL draft with a huge need along the edge, a need that existed even before the uncertainty surrounding Trey Hendrickson’s future with the franchise.
On top of not knowing what the future holds with Hendrickson, the Bengals’ second best edge rusher, Joseph Ossai, only had five sacks last season and long-time edge rusher Sam Hubbard retired.
Knowing all that, it didn’t come as much of a surprise that the Bengals sprung for Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart at No. 17 overall. However, despite his freak athleticism, he remains a question mark after lackluster sack production during his collegiate career (4.5 sacks in three years).
Because of that lackluster production, The Sporting News’ Dan Treacy called the pick of Stewart one of the worst values in the entire 2025 NFL draft.
It made all the sense in the world for the Bengals to go with a defensive player with their top pick, and selecting a pass-rusher was wise with Trey Hendrickson’s future in Cincinnati uncertain. Stewart is a high-risk player for a franchise that can’t afford to miss here.
Stewart has all of the athletic tools needed to succeed in the NFL, but he didn’t utilize them well in college. He never topped 1.5 sacks in any of his three seasons at Texas A&M, totaling 4.5 sacks and one forced fumble in his entire collegiate career. The Bengals are betting on Stewart’s raw tools translating to dominance at the next level — it’s happened before — but the risk of a whiff is high enough that the value can’t be considered strong at No. 17 overall.
It’s hard to argue with Treacy’s explanation. Traits are important, no doubt, but you also want to see a player produce at the collegiate level in tandem with those traits. Stewart lacks the latter part, and that is a concern as his competition levels up.
Looking ahead, the Bengals are in a precarious spot.
Things don’t appear to be getting better with Hendrickson, and if that continues, he could be traded, which would leave Cincinnati in a terrible spot. Even if he stays, Cincinnati isn’t guaranteed to have an adequate running mate for Hendrickson during a season in which Cincy needs a much better defensive showing.
There are still a few decent options in free agency, but the Bengals need to act fast because they’re going to start coming off the board now that the draft has passed.
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