Pass-rushing prospect draws comparison to former Seahawks' defender

The focus of the Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 offseason has been on offense, mainly the skill positions. The team traded quarterback Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, and signed 2024 Pro Bowler Sam Darnold who enjoyed a career year with the Vikings. There is a whole slew of new wide receivers in Cooper Kupp, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, River Cracraft, and Steven Sims Jr. That’s because 10-year pro Tyler Lockett was released, and two-time Pro Bowler DK Metcalf was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

General manager John Schneider (who has 10 picks in this year's draft) did address the defense in a big way with the addition of four-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence, who should make life easier for Leonard Williams. The latter had 11.0 of the team’s 45 sacks this past season. That’s a pretty respectable number, but that doesn’t mean Mike Macdonald’s team couldn’t use a young edge rusher.

The Seattle Seahawks are hosting Shemar Stewart today, per league source.

He will then head to San Francisco for a predraft visit with the 49ers.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) April 15, 2025

The Texas A&M product finished with a combined 4.5 sacks in three seasons with the Aggies, but he put on quite the show at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. “Stewart is carved from granite, possessing a rare blend of traits, explosiveness and untapped upside,” explained NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “He’s long and sudden off the snap but hasn’t learned to weaponize his hands to control the point of attack and bypass protection with go-to moves. His bull-rush compresses the pocket off the edge, and he’s too athletic for guards when reduced inside. He can be very disruptive in both phases but requires additional training to start converting his opportunities into finishes.”

The lack of production relative to the traits is a concern,” added Zierlein. “Still, players who move like him are highly coveted. While the boom-or-bust label might be in play, it feels like a matter of time before it all starts to click at a high level.” Zierlein compares Stewart to Roy Robertson-Harris. The eight-year pro played in Seattle’s final 11 games this past season after being acquired in a trade from Jacksonville. He was released this offseason.

Back to those aforementioned 45 sacks by the Seahawks. It’s worth noting that Mike Macdonald’s club racked up 35 of those QB traps in the team’s 10 wins. Seattle finished with at least two sacks in each of those victories. On the other hand, the ‘Hawks managed to get to opposing quarterbacks only a combined 10 times in seven losses. In three of those setbacks, Macdonald’s team failed to record a sack.

More Seahawks on SI stories