2025 NFL Draft: New star pass rusher emerging with huge Combine showing

It doesn't matter if you come from one of the top programs in the country or if you play at a D-III school, the NFL will find you if you can play ball. And sometimes, the top prospects in the country are hiding in plain sight.

Texas A&M defensive lineman/edge rusher Shemar Stewart had a total of 4.5 sacks over the course of his three seasons with the Aggies. He barely averaged 20 tackles per season. He had 12 tackles for loss in 37 total games.

Yet he might end up being a top 10 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft thanks to his absolutely bonkers performance at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Shemar Stewart inching toward top 10 picks of 2025 NFL Draft with Combine performance

Stewart is trending toward the 98th percentile (or better) in terms of his overall athletic score at the Combine...over the last 40 years. The level of athleticism per pound for a guy like this is rare, even though it feels like players like this are getting cranked out at the collegiate level every year.

The major question with a player like Stewart is -- why the lack of statistical production? There could be any number of reasons for that but the NFL looks at other metrics that matter as well, such as pressures and quarterback hits. And frankly, for a lot of NFL executives and coaching staffs, those stats matter more than sacks and tackles for loss. It's not always the guy who gets there first who ends up making the play.

Stewart flashes on the tape when you watch him at Texas A&M. Even though he was listed at 6-foot-6, 290 pounds, he's checked in at the Scouting Combine at a much more reasonable 6-foot-5, 267 pounds for an edge rusher. With arms reaching over 34 inches as well, NFL teams are simply going to be salivating at the chance to get a guy like this in the fold.

There are a number of teams in the top 10-15 picks who desperately need edge rusher help, and this isn't exactly the best year to need one. The best player in the class -- Penn State's Abdul Carter -- can't work out until late March due to a foot issue that popped up this week. This year's draft class is lacking blue-chip types of talent, and that will almost undoubtedly lead to NFL teams talking themselves into a guy like Stewart.

And with the numbers he's posting at the Combine, there might not be much talking into needed.