With the 17th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Shemar Stewart out of Texas A&M. The pick was certainly a lightning rod for conversation among both the fan base and draft pundits alike.

There are definitely positive aspects to this selection—it addresses a position of need with a player many consider to have tremendous upside. However, it also left a number of questions.

Shemar Stewart didn’t have the kind of impact in the run or pass game that suggests he will be an immediate contributor for Cincinnati. The team needs a player who can make an instant impact on a defense that has been one of the worst in the NFL.

Initially, he could be a rotational piece who gets reps in sub-package situations. However, he recorded just 4.5 sacks in three years, which could possibly be attributed to how he was utilized at Texas A&M. That said, he did lead the team in pressures. Nonetheless, he’s probably not ready to be a three-down player, and there were other strong prospects on the board who were capable of playing on all three downs.

When you’re picking a player at No. 17, you’d ideally hope he’s a “plug-and-play” prospect—and that is not the case here.

Often, NFL teams get enamored with a player’s physical tools and believe that good coaching and a schematic fit will maximize their potential. This has seemingly been the Bengals’ strategy with early picks in recent years—Amarius Mims and Myles Murphy are examples of “toolsy” players who were considered projects to some degree.

Under Duke Tobin’s tenure, excluding Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, there have been several misses in Round 1—and that’s the round considered the easiest to project in the NFL Draft. Cincinnati is in win-now mode.

They are a good defense away from potentially returning to the Super Bowl. They rolled the dice in the first round with other “win-now” players on the board.