The New York Jets have one of the brightest young defensive stars in the NFL in edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, but an Achilles tear in the second game of the season sidelined him for the entirety of the 2024 season. With some uncertainty on whether or not he will be 100 percent by the start of the regular season, the Jets could take some edge rushing help in the 2025 NFL Draft.
In a recent mock by Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team, he has New York taking a chance on Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart. “This is a big swing for the New York Jets, but I think Aaron Glenn will embrace the risk that goes with taking a player with 4.5 sacks in three years,” Valentino writes. “Stewart is an all-time athlete, though; his tape is better than his numbers suggest.
With Jermaine Johnson’s health unclear, the Jets can’t enter 2025 with him in line for a major role.” While it is true that Stewart did not have the most spectacular college career with the Aggies, it is hard to deny the fact that he is athletically gifted to say the least. He had very solid times in the 40-yard dash and the 10-yard split Draft Combine with a 4.59 and a 1.58, respectively.
But it his vertical jump of 40 inches and broad jump of just under 11 feet that really jump of the page. With athleticism like that at 6-5, 267 pounds coming off the edge, Stewart could be a very interesting player for a team like the Jets to take a chance on.