GREEN BAY, Wis. — Welcome to the jungle! The Cincinnati Bengals have selected edge rusher Shemar Stewart with the 17th pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
A 6-foot-5, 267 pound junior out of Texas A&M, Stewart was third-team All-SEC last season, finishing the year with 31 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 passes broken up and a forced fumble.
Next Gen Stats ranked him as the fourth-most athletic EDGE in the combine, with experts marking his first-step burst and chase speed as big strengths.
"We anticipate getting a lot of production out of him," head coach Zac Taylor said after the pick.
Since locking down their big three of Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals appear to have the large chunk of their offense set. While strengthening the offensive line should still be a priority in a tough AFC North, Cincinnati has needs at all levels on the defensive side.
With new coordinator Al Golden taking the reins, the Bengals are expected to address some of those glaring needs throughout the draft.
Looking at just defensive ends, Sam Hubbard retired in March, Trey Hendrickson's future with the team remains uncertain and both Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample are on one-year contracts.
"Maybe we have our finances dedicated a little heavier on offense because of some of the big ticket items we have over there, but certainly we want to win a championship and you gotta have a championship-level defense to do that," Taylor said this offseason.
If no trades are made, the Bengals also have Pick 49 in Round 2, Pick 81 in Round 3, Pick 119 in Round 4, Pick 153 in Round 5 and Pick 193 in Round 6. Rounds 2-3 will air on WCPO 9 starting at 7 p.m. Friday, while rounds 4-7 kick off Saturday at noon.
