Falcon Report

ESPN's Field Yates Mocks Monster Texas A&M DL to Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons continue to add to their defensive front in ESPN Field Yates's first NFL mock draft of the season.
Clint Goss|
In ESPN's latest mock draft, the Atlanta Falcons nab Texas A&M's 6'6 and 290 pound Shemar Stewart in the first round.
In ESPN's latest mock draft, the Atlanta Falcons nab Texas A&M's 6'6 and 290 pound Shemar Stewart in the first round. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

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Atlanta Falcons

ESPN Insider Field Yates released his first 2025 NFL Draft 1st Round Mock Wednesday, sending Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart to the Atlanta Falcons at 17th overall. 

Stewart's teammate Nic Scourton has been a popular choice for the Falcons in mock drafts. Yates has the Falcons passing on him, and Scourton goes No. 19 to the Buccaneers.

“The Falcons' need for an edge rusher is no mystery - - their 19 sacks rank last in the league this season,” wrote Yated on ESPN+. “The return of 2024 third-rounder Bralen Trice (who sustained a torn ACL in the preseason) will help, but they must invest in this position.

“Enter Stewart, whom I view as one of the most fascinating prospects in the class. Stewart has just 4.5 career sacks but boasts power, agility, fluidity and length coming off the edge. Several scouts have pointed him out as a player who could skyrocket during the pre-draft process as a combine standout.”

A former five-star recruit, Stewart has been playing with big money since his wild recruitment ultimately landed him in A&M’s No. 1 overall rated class in 2022. While most of that class disbanded (Ole Miss’s Walter Nolen, Oregon’s Evan Stewart, etc.), Stewart thrived for three years in College Station.

6 foot 6 inch, 290-pound men should not be able to play every position along the line of scrimmage. Having 897 collegiate snaps outside the tackle paired with an even 300 over the tackle, Stewart is a defensive line coach's dream and possibly, pound-for-pound, the biggest freak of an athlete in this draft. 

Six career sacks over that span aren’t eye popping, but 19 hurries in 2023 and 25 hurries in 2024 start to tell the tale of the tape of how disruptive Stewart is and can ultimately be in the NFL. 

The No. 13 overall player on my developing 2025 NFL Draft board, I have a player comparison of one of my favorite players to study in the NFL for Stewart: New England Patriots defensive lineman Keion White.

Whether classified as an edge or an interior defensive lineman by Relative Athletic Score testing at the NFL Combine, Keion White has a Relative Athletic Score of 9.92 at defensive tackle and 9.94 at edge. Stewart is similar from a physical makeup. 

A game wrecker projected for the first round, the Falcons have been gearing up for the eventual loss of Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata with the likes of Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, and Zach Harrison. Stewart would be the most physically gifted of them all. 

A+ by Field Yates here. 

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Clint Goss
CLINT GOSS

Clint Goss is an NFL & SEC football writer, as well as the on-air co-host of The Falcon Fade radio show at 99.1 WDJY and lead NFL Draft Analyst for Stadium Rant. He is a Rhetoric graduate of Georgia College & State University. A Roswell resident, find Clint at Mercedes-Benz Stadium every Sunday covering the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow Clint actively on Twitter/X @NFLDraftDome