INITIAL DISCOVERY

Stewart is an extremely twitchy and athletic prospect who displays exceptional quickness, agility, and explosiveness off the snap. He possesses top-tier change-of-direction ability and lateral movement for a player of his size, combined with an attacking style of play that is evident throughout his performance. His rare combination of athletic traits immediately stands out on film.

STRENGTHS

• Stewart possesses an exceptional athletic frame at 6-5, 245 pounds, with outstanding length, mobility, and physical upside for the outside linebacker position. His long, lean build provides him with the physical makeup to excel in space, where his extraordinary athletic traits can be maximized without consistently engaging considerably larger offensive linemen at the point of attack.
• He is an exceptionally intense competitor who displays a relentless attacking mentality and consistently pursues plays from snap-to-whistle. Stewart demonstrates tremendous passion for the game, rarely conceding a play regardless of his positioning or the physical advantages possessed by opposing blockers. His aggressive playing style, competitive determination, and willingness to engage larger opponents are defining characteristics of his performance.
• He displays outstanding eye-hand coordination and natural instincts when attacking the football. His ability to locate the ball while pursuing opposing quarterbacks and ball carriers creates opportunities to disrupt plays and force turnovers. His quick hands, closing speed, and aggressive approach provide him with considerable big-play potential whenever he is on the field.
• His overall athleticism is extraordinary for a player of his size. Stewart possesses exceptional twitch, foot quickness, lateral agility, and change-of-direction ability resembling those of a considerably smaller defensive player. His feet are remarkably quick, and his ability to rapidly redirect his momentum while maintaining impressive balance and body control provides him with tremendous potential as a complete outside linebacker.
• Stewart demonstrates explosive initial acceleration, particularly when attacking from a standup alignment. His first step resembles that of a sprinter exploding from the starting blocks, allowing him to immediately threaten opposing offensive tackles and create considerable separation before blockers can establish positioning. Operating from a standup position provides him with additional space to fully utilize his acceleration, foot quickness, and athletic versatility.
• His closing speed is among the most impressive attributes evaluated in a player of his size. Once Stewart identifies the football, he possesses the acceleration and agility necessary to rapidly close considerable distances while maintaining exceptional balance. His ability to adjust pursuit angles without significantly reducing his momentum creates opportunities to disrupt plays that initially appear beyond his reach.
• Stewart's exceptional lateral movement and change-of-direction skills provide him with tremendous sideline-to-sideline pursuit ability. His capacity to rapidly transition between directions while maintaining speed makes him particularly dangerous when pursuing ball carriers toward the perimeter. His range, acceleration, and body control allow him to cover considerable ground while operating in space.
• His athletic profile also provides considerable potential in traditional outside linebacker coverage responsibilities. Stewart possesses the lateral quickness, fluidity, acceleration, and change-of-direction ability necessary to transition into coverage and react to developing plays. His exceptional movement skills provide him with the physical foundation to defend space, pursue receivers and backs, and contribute beyond his responsibilities as an edge pass rusher.
• As an edge defender, Stewart becomes considerably more dangerous when deployed from a standup alignment. The additional operating space allows him to exploit his extraordinary acceleration, quickness, and athletic flexibility rather than relying primarily on functional strength to defeat larger offensive linemen. His ability to threaten the outside shoulder of opposing blockers creates opportunities to generate immediate pressure and disrupt the quarterback's timing.
• Stewart possesses the athletic versatility to become a highly disruptive defensive weapon when deployed from multiple alignments. His physical tools allow him to operate as a traditional outside linebacker, attack from a standup edge alignment, or occasionally utilize a three-point stance during obvious passing situations. This versatility could allow a defensive coordinator to create favorable matchups while maximizing his exceptional athletic abilities.

WEAKNESSES

• Although Stewart possesses exceptional athletic ability and tremendous positional versatility, his functional upper-body and arm strength require additional development. When larger offensive linemen establish direct contact, Stewart can struggle to maintain leverage, disengage from blocks, and generate sufficient power to defeat opposing blockers. While operating at outside linebacker should reduce the frequency of these engagements, improved functional strength remains important to his overall development.
• His pass-rushing repertoire also requires further refinement. Stewart currently relies heavily on his exceptional acceleration and outside speed rather than consistently utilizing a diversified collection of counter moves, powerful hand techniques, and the ability to transition effectively from speed to power. Developing these techniques would make him a more complete and difficult defender to neutralize when attacking from the edge.
• Stewart occasionally takes excessively wide rushing angles, allowing opposing offensive tackles to redirect him beyond the quarterback's position. Although his extraordinary quickness provides opportunities to recover, improving his ability to redirect inside and maintain disciplined rushing lanes would enhance his effectiveness while limiting potential escape opportunities for opposing quarterbacks.
• His aggressive attacking mentality can occasionally compromise positional discipline when pursuing plays around the line of scrimmage. Stewart must continue refining his ability to balance his natural instincts to attack with maintaining proper defensive leverage and gap responsibilities, particularly when opposing offenses attempt to exploit his initial movement.
• Although his athletic traits provide an excellent foundation for traditional outside linebacker coverage responsibilities, his technical development in coverage will remain an important aspect of his transition. Continued refinement in route recognition, coverage positioning, and understanding offensive concepts will help maximize his effectiveness when operating away from the line of scrimmage.

INJURY HISTORY

2025 — Sustained a hip injury during the Oklahoma game, limiting his participation. Later dealt with a significant back injury that affected his availability and playing time during                     the latter portion of the season, including missing the Coastal Carolina game.

2026 — Continued recovering from the previous season's back injury, missing spring practices and the first two regular-season games. Returned to game action against Mississippi                 State.

PLAYER SUMMARY

Stewart is an exceptionally gifted athlete whose rare combination of explosiveness, lateral agility, closing speed, and competitive intensity provides him with extraordinary potential as a complete NFL outside linebacker. His athletic profile is particularly intriguing because his most impressive physical traits become considerably more valuable when operating in space rather than consistently engaging larger offensive linemen from a traditional defensive end alignment.

During the second game of Stewart's evaluation, outside linebacker emerged as his most advantageous projected position at the next level. Two primary factors contributed to this assessment. First, his exceptional movement skills, acceleration, and athletic versatility are better suited to a role that provides additional operating space and opportunities to attack from multiple alignments. Second, his long, lean frame and current limitations in functional strength create significant concerns regarding his ability to consistently withstand the physical demands of playing defensive end against larger NFL offensive linemen.

Transitioning Stewart to outside linebacker could substantially reduce these limitations while allowing his extraordinary athleticism to become a more consistent competitive advantage. Rather than repeatedly engaging larger blockers at the point of attack, Stewart could be deployed from standup alignments, attack from different angles, pursue plays across the field, and create favorable matchups through his exceptional speed and agility.

Stewart's exceptional athletic versatility provides him with the potential to develop into a complete NFL outside linebacker rather than functioning exclusively as a situational edge rusher. His extraordinary lateral movement, change-of-direction ability, closing speed, and overall athleticism provide the physical foundation to perform traditional coverage responsibilities while remaining a highly disruptive standup edge defender. His ability to contribute in multiple defensive roles could allow a defensive coordinator to maximize his unique skill set without consistently exposing him to the physical disadvantages associated with playing defensive end on an every-down basis.

His versatility could provide a defensive coordinator with a highly disruptive weapon capable of attacking opposing offenses from multiple positions. Stewart could function as a standup edge rusher, pursue ball carriers from wider alignments, drop into coverage, and occasionally align in a three-point stance during obvious passing situations. His ability to rapidly close ground and redirect his momentum provides considerable potential to disrupt plays before opposing offenses can fully develop their blocking assignments.

When projecting Stewart as an outside linebacker, his athletic profile draws comparisons to former Alabama linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas. Both possess exceptional athletic traits, explosive acceleration, and the ability to create significant disruption when attacking from outside linebacker alignments. Stewart's rare movement skills provide the potential to develop into a similarly disruptive defensive weapon if his positional transition and technical development progress successfully.

However, an important distinction involves functional upper-body and arm strength. Thomas possessed considerable physical power in addition to his exceptional athleticism, and it remains uncertain whether Stewart currently demonstrates comparable strength at similar stages of their collegiate development. This distinction is particularly important when evaluating Stewart's ability to consistently defeat blockers and establish himself as a complete outside linebacker.

Although the positional projection is highly encouraging, Stewart's transition will require continued technical refinement and positional development. His exceptional athleticism provides the physical foundation to contribute in multiple defensive roles, while further development in coverage technique, defensive recognition, and pass-rushing versatility will determine how effectively he maximizes his considerable potential.

Stewart's aggressive playing style, relentless competitive temperament, and exceptional physical tools make him a particularly intriguing prospect when evaluated specifically as an outside linebacker. His ability to create explosive plays, pursue the football across the field, contribute in coverage, and threaten opposing offenses from multiple alignments provides considerable potential to become a game-changing defensive presence.

His long-term NFL value is closely tied to how effectively a team recognizes and utilizes his unique skill set. A defensive system that maximizes his athletic advantages while limiting unnecessary exposure to larger blockers could provide him with the opportunity to develop into a significantly more impactful player than his current defensive end projection suggests.

When evaluated as a complete outside linebacker prospect, Stewart possesses the exceptional athletic traits, competitive intensity, and positional versatility worthy of consideration among the top five overall selections in the NFL Draft.

PROJECTED ROUND (CONSENSUS)

1st RD (Top 5 Overall)

MY VALUE BOARD

1st RD (Top 5 Overall) (Last Updated: 11-05-26)

Profile by: Ken Becks aka TheScout — @1stDown_Scout