The NFL Draft is an essential event for every team in the league, some need it more than others. The Bengals desperately need to have a good draft. They picked Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart when they were on the clock, but was it the right choice?
There’s no denying the Bengals needed to draft a defensive player to help solve their woes on that side of the ball. They might have succeeded in doing that. Shemar Stewart is an interesting prospect. With minimal impact in college, scouts relied on his potential, given his size and athletic ability.
Stewart, however, seems to be more of a project than an instant-impact player compared to other proven players on the board at the time, like Mike Green.
In 37 games at Texas A&M, Shemar Stewart only put up 12 TFLs and four and a half sacks. Judging by those numbers, Stewart would be lucky to have been drafted, let alone in the first round.
However, during the NFL Combine, Stewart stood out. He showed incredible athleticism with a 40-yard dash time of 4.59, a vertical jump of 40″, and a broad jump of 10′ 11″. No doubt numbers like that are compelling. An athlete like that should transfer well into the NFL. The keyword being “should.”
Drafting a player based on their incredible potential is fine if your team isn’t realistically winning a Super Bowl anytime soon.
That is, however, not the case for the Bengals, who were just in the Super Bowl a few seasons ago. This team doesn’t have time to wait for players to get good. They need players who are already proven to be good. Their Super Bowl window is quickly closing, so picking Stewart is puzzling.
If the Bengals plan to win now, they probably made the wrong choice. Shemar Stewart can develop into a fantastic player, but that doesn’t help a desperate Bengals team. Players like Mike Green or Malaki Starks make much more sense here—two players with the career stats to back that up.
Maybe the selection of Shemar Stewart may pay off. For a team with a struggling defense hoping to make another Super Bowl run, better options were available for more of an instant impact. Perhaps in the remaining rounds, the Bengals select some great talent, but only time will tell.
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