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Jeff Legwold
Some of the most greatest, career decisive decisions in Nfl draft Come when the eye test encounters numbers. When the player looks prepared by the prepared NFL in the way he moves, but there is not enough impact on statistics to match measurable measurements.
“I think you value up because you want to grow but we don’t have an agricultural system,” Miami dolphins Said coach Mike McDaniel. “You don’t have luxury that they are redshirting in the National Football League.”
Texas A & M’s Shemar StewartViewpoint No. 25 to ESPN Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Large albumIt is part of the deep group Edge Rushers in this class 2025, a position in the epicenter of the debate “Potential vs. Production”.
He is also a player with the highest evaluation of this year’s balance sheet, who has married the future potential of the NFL with the production in the field. And its evaluation can be defined by the number “4.5” – as in, 4.5 total University bags and exactly 1.5 in each of its three seasons.
“Sometimes statistics don’t say the whole story,” Stewart said on the combine harvester. “It’s all about the movie. And if you look at the movie, you can really see what’s going on for the most part.”
Stewart, along with Mykel Williams (Georgia) and Landon Jackson (Arkansas), they are the main example of what has become an annual NFL scout and the front office. We talked to the people around the league about how the decisionrs struggle with great legs vs. Lack of production in the 1st round and why the qualities are sometimes too good to go through-when it means betting their own future about this potential.
21 -year -old Stewart There is a prospect of being pulled out. Measured 6 stop-5 and weighed £ 267 at combine. Runing a 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds, better than three running backs, five wide receivers and all 14 fixed ends in participation. Had a 40 -inch vertical jump (tied for the fourth highest between all Players for combine harvester) and wide jump 10 feet-11 (tied to seventh between all players).
“(This type of performance) will always attract your attention,” said Scout for the AFC team. “There are not many people on the planet who can do it.”
This raises the question of both the player so large, strong, fast and fast had only 4.5 bags and 11.5 solutions for loss during 37 college games. You want to put it in perspective, penn state Abdul Carter – Who many in the league believe he is the best player available in this class- had 12 bags and 23.5 solutions in 16 games last season. But Stewart has irritating analytical metrics that the scout rope directly back. Despite its modest production, its average time was 2,43 seconds in the last season, the best grade in FBS (Carter joined in 2.46 seconds).
“As a coach, if you think it is worth with — at all, you will watch a guy with all the features and say,” I can get out of it (bags), I can make him play, “said the long-time former coach of the NFL line. “These are boys from the pound. You don’t want platform players, boys who are as good as they will be. You want the potential.”
Stewart said that coaches, scouts and personnel executives asked him for their statistical profile. He pointed to the depth of aggies, and the contradictory quarterbacks quickly got rid of the ball to avoid pressure from the front of Texas A&M. Aggies were 22. In FBS at pressure rate (40.3%) despite one of the lowest Blitz spines (19.3%, which was placed in 115).
“I wasn’t a warrior chasing bag,” Stewart said. “I just wanted to become the best player for my team. And sometimes the statistics don’t show it. Sometimes I have to play dead by rights and sometimes I just couldn’t finish or couldn’t get there in time.”
Stewart is not alone in the field of these questions. Georgian Williams, who is Kiper in a total of 22. said to the teams In recent weeks he has been “less than 60%” last season due to ankle injury suffered 1st week. A week.
Arkansas’ Jackson also fits the account. He had 16 bags in three seasons, but 6-Naha-6, £ 264 was so dominant in Combine exercise These more scouts on different teams said they needed to see his game tape again. They noted that Jackson was a serious lead in defense, but did not see the explosiveness that he showed in Indianapolis in the pass.
Williams said at the combine harvester that some compared it with another Georgian marginal Rusher who was statistical curiosity – Travon WalkerNo. 1 The selection of the proposal 2022. Walker was one of the most important debates on the most important potential vs.-production over the last decade.
“Travon was strange because of how big he was and how quickly he could move,” Williams said. “He’s very versatile like me. So I think the comparison comes from, but that’s what has made him special. What he could do with his size.”
Walker did not check All boxes approaching 2022. He had 9.5 bags and 11 tools for losing together in three tracks. But the 6-Naha-5, 272-Libra Edge Rusher was fascinating because of the rare, jaws declining moments he produced, even though they didn’t always resist in tools or bags.
Scouts who led to this proposal He’s going to the hall 24 yards down in season 2021 Championship As an example of his unique set of skills. Then he turned for ages in a combined day. Walker ran a 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds, the best grade for all the defensive line and the second best among Edge Rushers. His vertical jump of 35.2 inches was better than everyone except two defensive lines.
“I liked him,” said AFC scout. “But you will find yourself replying:
Coaches, scouts and general managers insist that bags are not all -rounded in search of passes. But players whose talents are clear without getting into the results easily are even the best talent evaluators.
“At the meeting, you always say,” Let’s look for these numbers and get more data, “or” Let’s dive into it, look at the scheme of how he was trained, what was asked, make -up, all, “said the CEO of NFC. “Guys with characteristics and numbers are easy calls. … player with all the features and without landing, wiretapping or bags or anything else, they’re hard, huh?” ”
Walker ended up as a selection No. 1, and Jaguars chose it over Michigan Aidan Hutchinsonwhich was considered a safer selection in 2021 due to its 14 bags. Hutchinson was selected in total No. 2. The first results were distorted by the Hutchinson. Walker moved from the defensive line to the outer linebacker as a newcomer and ended up with only 3.5 bags over 788 images. Meanwhile, Hutchinson had 9.5 bags and finished second in the defensive rookie of the year. Walker, however, in 2023 and 10.5 last season rewarded Jacksonville’s patience of 10 bags.
“It’s whenever you are on the lesson, to choose whether and when, you take the features and what you think the player has inside to think he should be,” said NFC.
Sometimes not work. For every pedestrian and ODAFE OWEH -2021 Selection from the first round he had in his last college season zero bags but had 10 for Ravens in 2024-there Vernon Gholstonwhose elite features were not translated after the Jets with the sixth selection in 2008 were developed.
But Elite Pass Rushers is one of the fastest to adapt to the NFL, so some evaluators lean a little more to the potential.
“You just think, improvements with your hands, firmly his attitude, adding some strength, adapting quickly,” said the former coach of the defense line. “You want those people who get to Quarterback. … If they have features, you can take advantage of the chance. You’ll fix it more than other positions.”
Stewart hopes that the evaluators will look at the whole picture and see everything they believe that he brought aggies to defense – and brought to his new NFL home.
“Production (box score) is a bit overestimated,” he said.
