Stat of the Jay: In Addition to Bengals’ Shemar Stewart, How Many First-Round DL/LB Had 4.5 or Fewer Sacks in NCAA

Sep 2, 2023; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (4) breaks past New Mexico Lobos offensive lineman Matthew Toilolo (74) during the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals’ selection of Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart opened a debate on traits vs. production due to the fact that he only had 4.5 sacks in college.

And only 1.5 of those sacks came in his final season in 2024.

It begs this question:

How many defensive linemen and linebackers have been drafted in the first round of the last 20 drafts despite having only 4.5 career sacks in college?

The list is a little longer than expected, but most of them are interior defensive linemen and stack linebackers.

One of them was a Bengals draft pick 16 years ago.

Before we get to the list, here is what Stewart said about his low sack number:

 “It could be multiple reasons. My first two years, I didn’t play as much. And this past year, I was getting there, but at the same time, just technical things along the way to the quarterback that I need to refine. And of course, just wrapping up the quarterback once I get there. It’s not like I can’t get there. I led the team in pressures. We also had the best defensive line in the SEC in my opinion. It was just minor technical difficulties on my end.”

And here is what defensive coordinator Al Golden said:

“It’s all positive for us. There’s no negative here. This is a heck of a pick for us. We’re excited about him. We’re excited about his athleticism, about his toughness, about his play style, all those things, so in terms of — there’s a lot of production he’s made. Again, if converts a couple more sacks and they’re not just quarterback hits or hurries, we’re not having this discussion right now because he’s making plays out of his realm a lot of times, too.

“He’s making a lot of plays on the perimeter and plays downfield because he has the skills to do that. Again, if that’s the only thing we’re focused on when he gets here in terms of quieting that down and making that better and giving him a plan for improvement in terms of that, then we’re going to be successful.”

Stewart is the 19th defensive lineman or linebacker in the last 20 drafts to hear his name called in the first round despite recording 4.5 or fewer sacks in college.

The other 18:

Defensive linemen and linebackers who were selected in the first round in the last 20 drafts despite having 4.5 or fewer sacks in their college career. | SportRadar