Shemar Stewart Named The Worst Draft Pick From 2025 Cycle

Sports Illustrated's Matt Verdarame broke down the worst NFL draft picks of the 2025 cycle this week ahead of the 2026 festivities, and Shemar Stewart took the ominous top spot.

Stewart battled injuries all season in 2025 to do next to nothing for a Bengals defense that ranked last in the NFL in yards per play allowed (6.1 YPP).

Rough Rookie Run

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart (97) sits between drives in the first quarter of the NFL Week 7 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Everything about Stewart joining the Bengals has gone poorly," Verdarame wrote. "After being selected with the No. 17 pick out of Texas A&M, Stewart didn’t sign for months, missing a portion of Cincinnati’s offseason program before showing up to training camp in late July. Stewart, 22, ended up appearing in eight games, amassing only four quarterback hits with a sack while playing 53% of Cincinnati’s defensive snaps. With Trey Hendrickson now moving on to the Ravens in free agency, the Bengals desperately need Stewart to become a force up front."

Stewart ended up getting the worst Pro Football Focus grade of any defensive end last season (41.2 overall) across eight appearances. The Bengals brass still believes in him though.

“Year two is gonna be a much better year for him. I would say there were times that he wasn't ready to be out there [last season]. I think with some development and a full off-season, he's healthy, he's doing a great job in his off-season training right now. I look for him to have a big year. And, I'm excited about his future," Bengals defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said on the Bengals Booth Podcast recently.

The 17th overall pick tallied 11 tackles, including one sack and one pass breakup during that first season.

To be fair, Stewart was advised to sit out all of the 2025 offseason program, and that clearly didn't help his injury conditioning, leading to his first-ever injury-riddled season.

Stewart played 12, 13, and 12 games during his three seasons at Texas A&M, showing no consistent injury issues, so he should be able to stay on the field much more this fall and start to find a pass-rushing rhythm along the way.

He will have a ton of opportunities to earn a starting spot throughout an offseason program that he will be participating in after putting the rookie contract issue behind him and getting fully healthy this offseason, as evidenced by some intense workout clips on social media.

Check out the full piece from Verdarame here.

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more! We're a one-stop shop for all things Cincinnati Bengals! Join the 63,000+ Bengals fans who subscribe to us on YouTube.

Add us as a preferred source on Google