Shemar Stewart would start in Florida, being born on September 8th, 2023 in the Miami area, eventually moving to places like Opa Locka, and Miami Gardens. Blossoming early, Shemar knew his ability could take him places before enrolling at Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami Florida, where he would earn distinctions as a top defensive lineman early in his playing career.
Shemar Stewart in High School
Early projections of Shemar Stewart, evaluated on 03/17/2020 by former Scouting Director of 24/7 Sports Bart Simmons had Shemar as a first round talent, reminding them of Kansas City Chiefs DL Chris Jones:
Drawing parallels to Kansas City Chief DL Chris Jones is one that would propel any recruit into a position to be drafted, with Chris Jones being a Hall of Fame-level talent. The domination of such an inside player allows for teams to more adequately balance the rest of their defense, and with rookies, you’re able to do even more cap flexibility. Early projections of Shemar Stewart, evaluated on 03/07/2021 said by the Director of Scouting for 24/7 Sports, Andrew Ivins:
With a scouting reporting and analysis that would make any Shemar Stewart fan drool, he also continued to play two sports in high school, both basketball and football. His high school accomplishments are below:
2019: Helped Monsignor Pace reach Sunshine State’s 4A regional quarterfinals.
2020: Missed most of junior season with a sprained AC joint and a severe bone bruise in his knee.
2021: Miami Herald All-Dade 5A-IND first-team selection. Totaled 85 tackles (40 for loss) and 14 sacks while working on the edge.
Shemar Stewart would finish his high school career with Monsignor Pace (Miami, FL) with 35 solo tackles, 56 total tackles, 15 sacks, and an average of 4.7 tackles per game across 12 games played.
Shemar Stewart in College
With the world at his fingertips, Shemar had offers as a 5-star recruit, ranked 3rd as a DL, 9th nationally, and a 0.9945 24/7 Sports Composite rating, drawing interest from Penn State, Oregon, Tennessee, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Nebraska, Michigan, Florida State, Florida, Clemson, Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Miami, and his future home, Texas A&M in 2022 where he would move to EDGE, from his previous place as DL.
In 2022, Shemar would make an immediate impact as a freshman, being ranked 5th on the team in sacks with 1.5, and 16th on the team in total tackles with 23. In 2022, Shemar Stewart had 416 defensive snaps, split between 174 pass rush, and 242 run defense snaps at Texas A&M.
Shemar would follow up that freshman campaign with 318 defensive snaps split across 191 pass rush and 127 run defense. This would get him to 11 total tackles, 1.5 sacks again, and a reduced role due to the scheme.
In 2024, Texas A&M would get 1.5 sacks again, 31 total tackles, with another reduced input year due to the defensive scheme, with no Texas A&M player eclipsing 5 sacks, in-fact, fellow player Nic Scourton led the team, who is also heading to the draft alongside Shemar.
Given the overall body of work that Shemar Stewart at Texas A&M, as well as given his injury history, Shemar is meant to fall to a team that can allow this young man to grow. Shemar could fall to a Pittsburgh Steeler team that could allow him to develop more into an EDGE rusher alongside TJ Watt for example, or even rival Baltimore Ravens. The 49ers, Rams, and so many more powerhouse defensive places can allow this man to learn the NFL speed, and the NFL game, and allow his freak ability shown at the Combine to truly prosper.
Shemar Stewart and the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers Head Coach Dave Canales recently said that when evaluating talent, to “always go back to the tape,” and with that, I return to the tape to see a guy that wasn’t in a defensive system that supported his ability, but at the same time, how did Edgerrin Cooper and Nic Scourton overcome? Shemar leaves a lot to be desired by an edge rusher, as well as a defensive scheme, both of which are rebuilding in Carolina in a big way – so for that, I believe that Shemar should be faded by Carolina to instead insert a more rookie started potential to this roster.