The Cincinnati Bengals needed to spend some capital on the defensive side of the ball due to the uncertainty durrounding top pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, and they chose to address that problem by adding a freak athlete in Texas A&M pass rusher Shemar Stewart with the No. 17 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
With Hendrickson trade rumors swirling, the Bengals decided to grab the most physically talented edge rusher in this group by taking Stewart at No. 17 overall. This pick might give the Bengals some clarity as they head into what could be a very trying time for them.
With Stewart now in the fold, the Bengals might move forward with some more aggressive Hendrickson trade talks. This could come back to bite them, but Stewart apparently has them more prepared than ever to take the plunge and turn things around.
Bengals draft Trey Hendrickson replacement in Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart
Stewart's production is nonexistent, as he recorded just 1.5 sacks in each of his three seasons with the Aggies. However, he has traits that are so rare that a team just used a Top 20 pick on a player who has that level of limited production in college.
Stewart ran a 4.59 40-yard dash at nearly 270 pounds, showcasing peerless explosion and athletic ability. His 40 pressures during his final collegiate season and solid run defense shows that he can impact the game in more ways than just trying to pile up the sacks.
Losing Hendrickson will be tough, especially with Stewart and Myles Murphy likely to be counted on as replacements for him and Sam Hubbard, but Stewart makes almost too much sense for a Bengals defense that is lacking in star power to such a shocking degree that it threatens to rip yet another Super Bowl run from Joe Burrow's hands.