Shemar Stewart lives up to Florida high school projections, picked 17th overall in the NFL Draft by the Bengals

The Monsignor Pace of Miami product never rested on his vast natural skills, earning a spot in the middle of the first round in front of more than 200,000 fans at Lambeau Field in Green Bay

Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell with Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Shemar Stewart after her is selected by the Cincinnati Bengals as the number seventeen pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Shemar Stewart was earmarked for the NFL way back to his days at Monsignor Pace in Miami Gardens. 

At 6-foot-6 and 272 pounds, he was already big as a house and chiseled as a bodybuilder. He was fast and explosive and had a ridiculous 80-inch wingspan, which made him freakishly good and coveted on the football field and the basketball court. 

Recruiting site 247Sports ranked him a 5-star prospect, the No. 9 player overall in the nation, the third best defensive lineman and No. 1 recruit overall in Florida. 

He had the numbers to back it up all the projections: 85 tackles, 40 for loss with 15 sacks as a senior, earning first-team All-Miami Dade County by the Miami Herald. He did that a year after missing most of his junior season with a knee injury and two years after racking up 15 sacks as a sophomore, lifting his team into the Florida 4A regional quarterfinals. 

“He looks like a grown man out on the edge,” is how he was described in 2021 by Barton Simmons, a former scouting director of 247Sports. 

So, after accepting one of 33 college offers, this one to Texas A&M, it wasn’t particularly surprising Thursday that Stewart was selected 17th overall in the NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Sep 2, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; New Mexico Lobos wide receiver Jeremiah Hixon (8) runs the ball during the second quarter as Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (4) makes a tackle at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

He boasted a 40-inch vertical jump and ran a 4.59 40-yard dash time during the NFL combine, excellent marks for a running back, wide receiver or athletic linebacker, not a defensive lineman. 

Though those numbers were shown off as a 21-year-old, what people saw of Stewart as a high school kid were almost spot on. He's just a little bigger, stronger and faster. 

“(He) was mistaken by one recruiter for a college senior when he was a high school freshman because of his size,” wrote Simmons in a March of 2021 evaluation of Stewart. “Has shown on tape that he’s capable of winning both inside and outside. Initial burst allows him to quickly work his way into the backfield. Does a nice job of keeping his feet moving while feeling out a situation. Powerful enough at the point of contact to walk back an offensive tackle and flush out of pocket. 

“Rare physical traits and elite testing numbers suggest that he could blossom into an all-conference type of player at a Power 5 program and eventually an early pick in the NFL Draft if everything comes together."

It all came together.

Apr 24, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Shemar Stewart is introduced before the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"I'm going to work my tail off," Stewarts told reporters Thursday night. "Me and (Bengals first-team All-Pro defensive end) Trey Hendrickson, he's going to be my best buddy because I'm going to be under his tail."

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