Josaiah Stewart, Edge Michigan: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Stewart was a three-star recruit from Everett High School in Everett, Mass. in the class of 2021

Michigan’s Josaiah Stewart is an explosive pass rusher with excellent speed and burst. Despite questionable measurables, Stewart has flashed as a run defender and possesses the potential to be a top 100 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Josaiah Stewart, Edge Michigan: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior outside linebacker from Bronx, N.Y.

Background: Stewart was a three-star recruit from Everett High School in Everett, Mass. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 748 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 939 for On3.com. Stewart was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 76 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Boston College but flipped to Coastal Carolina. Stewart transferred to Michigan for the 2023 season. He contributed in high school as a tight end and defensive end. Stewart’s senior season in the fall of 2020 was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a junior, he totaled 30 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, seven sacks, a fumble recovery, a blocked punt, and a blocked extra point as Everett went 9-3 overall and 3-0 in the Greater Boston League. Stewart was a 2019 Boston Herald All-Scholastic Award winner.

Injuries & Off-Field: Did not play in 2022 bowl game

Awards: 2021 First Team All-Sun Belt, 2021 Freshman All-American (FWAA, ESPN, The Athletic), Set Coastal Carolina Single-Season Sack Record in 2021, 2022 Second Team All-Sun Belt, 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Coaches)

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage and field goal block units, appears to have NFL-caliber arm length, excellent first step, impressive acceleration and burst off the line, builds speed on stunts, speed to challenge tackles vertically, closing burst, good change of direction skills, active hands during rush, hand counters that actively remove the lineman’s hands, rip move, swim move, cross-chop, two-handed swipe, flashes of converting speed to power, picks up hustle sacks, ferocious pursuit of the QB, spins back into the pocket, flattens his rush at the top of the arc, processing speed, reads and anticipates screens or RB swing passes, gets outside the numbers to help on WR screens, motor runs hot in pursuit, uses a long-arm move to stack blockers in the run game, sets a strong edge against blocking TEs, not displaced vertically frequently despite frame, manipulates blocks to get closer to the ball, works off blocks in the run game, usually a steady wrap-up tackler, athletic to drop into shallow coverage

Cons: Lean frame, good but nowhere near elite arm length, late reacting to the snap sometimes, lacks elite bend, pad level occasionally upright at the top of the arc, pushed up and around the pocket, play strength limits rush plan, leg drive dies out on bull rush, can’t channel much power through his long-arm move, power elements of his game inconsistent in translating to the Big Ten, unproductive when chipped, could not break JC Latham’s anchor (2023), stonewalled by pulling guards, can get stuck on tight end blocks, some issues breaking strong clamps, lack of awareness in zone coverage, occasionally slides off tackle attempts

Overview: Stewart has special teams experience on the kick coverage and field goal block units. He primarily aligned in a two-point stance as a 5-tech or wide-9 for Michigan but also took some snaps as a stand up 4-tech. Stewart doesn’t have elite arm length but seems to check the box. He has an excellent first step and flashes the acceleration and burst to immediately threaten tackles vertically. Stewart also has terrific closing burst to quickly torpedo targets if he ends up unblocked on a stunt or blown assignment. While he partially flattens his angle to the quarterback once he reaches the top of the arc, he lacks elite bend in his lower half. This limits him as a pass rusher since he doesn’t counter into the B-gap frequently. Stewart’s hands are very active during his pass rush, deploying multiple counters to remove or disrupt the offensive lineman’s hands. His pass rush plan includes rips, swims, and cross-chops. He also uses a two-handed swipe and has flashes of converting speed to power. Unfortunately, his lean frame and limited play strength have prevented his bull rush, long-arm move, and speed to power from being as effective in the Big Ten as they were in the Sun Belt. Stewart is a high motor defender who makes hustle sacks with his relentless pursuit of the quarterback. He knows when to spin back into the pocket when he gets pushed too far upfield. The former All-Sun Belt selection occasionally plays too upright at the top of the arc, which leads to him being pushed around the pocket. He didn’t have the play strength to break JC Latham’s anchor against Alabama and appears to be more of an outside track rusher than an all-arounder. Stewart’s mental processing speed appears to be high level. He reads and anticipates running back or wide receiver screens and quickly uses his change of direction skills to get all the way to the sideline to make plays in pursuit. The New York native uses his long-arm move to stack blockers in the run game. He sometimes gets stuck on blocks but is rarely displaced downfield. Stewart sets a strong edge against tight ends and manipulates tight end and offensive tackle blocks to be in position to make a play on the ball carrier. He has issues breaking free from strong clamps but also makes some nice plays working off blocks at the last moment for tackles. Stewart is more than athletic enough to drop into shallow coverages and control space, but he hasn’t developed much awareness in zone coverage yet. He is generally a wrap-up tackler but sometimes slides off his tackle attempts.

Overall, Stewart is an explosive and productive edge with a nice array of pass rush moves who defends the run at a higher level than his limited frame and size suggest. He could drop to Day 3 if NFL teams view him mainly as a rotational change-of-pace third edge rusher for passing down scenarios.

Role & Scheme Fit: Early career designated pass rusher in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Mid Third to Mid Fourth Round

Size: 6'1", 245 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 03-30-24