Could Cincinnati Bengals First Round Pick Shemar Stewart be Next Jason Pierre-Paul?

The Bengals picked Shemar Stewart with the No. 17 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Oct 19, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA;Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) drops back to pass against Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (4) during the third quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images | Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Some Bengals fans were disappointed when the team selected Shemar Stewart with the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night.  

As fans spent the night deriding the pick, Zac Taylor and Al Golden seemed quite pleased with their new addition. 

The whole scenario reminded me of the year Jason Pierre-Paul was selected 15th overall by the New York Giants in 2010. New York’s expectations were high after beating New England 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII. Pierre-Paul didn’t have an overly productive year at South Florida in 2009 ending that season with just 45 tackles (17 for loss) and 6.5 sacks. 

Much like Pierre-Paul, Stewart is a gamble. He’s unproven in the NFL, but aren’t all draft picks? Pierre-Paul and the Giants agreed to a five-year, $20.05 million deal with $11.6 million guaranteed ahead of his rookie year. Spending a lot of money and needing a disruptive playmaker on their defensive line, they bet on JPP. He was quiet in his NFL debut, recording two tackles in the Giants’ season opener.

By December 2010, it was clear that everything had clicked for the rising talent. JPP was playing out of his mind, ending the year with 4.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss.

The next season, Pierre-Paul would take the league by storm, and the Giants would return to the brightest stage in professional sports and once again beat New England in the Super Bowl.

Pierre-Paul was crucial to the team's winning season, recording 16.5 sacks, 28 quarterback hits, 86 tackles (23 for loss), and seven passes defensed. His production skyrocketed, and he would be selected to his first Pro Bowl. 

At the time he was picked, he was viewed as an athletic specimen, much like Stewart. Like the Giants did in 2010, the Bengals are hoping this incredible gamble pays off, and they’ve got two months to get him on track for the 2025 season. 

Could the Bengals have drafted this era’s next Jason Pierre-Paul? Only time will tell, but it's a gamble they took on Thursday night.