Shemar Stewart and James Pearce Jr. were commonly talked about before the draft as talented pass rushers with questions off the gridiron.
The Atlanta Falcons were comfortable with Pearce Jr., but not Stewart, and they are already being proven right.
Falcons smartly targeted James Pearce Jr. over Shemar Stewart
Shemar Stewart has got some guts for being a rookie; he has yet to play a single snap, yet remains a holdout over contract disputes with the Cincinnati Bengals.
He found it appropriate, right or wrong, to call out their front office for their cheap nature.
"I’m 100 percent right. I’m not asking for nothing y’all have never done before. But in y’all case, y’all just want to win arguments than winning more games."Shemar Stewart
That is quite the statement for a rookie, and I think the Falcons are glad to have avoided this.
Granted, none of this would have gone down this way if Stewart were with the Falcons. But you cannot help but wonder if this is a sign of things to come.
The Bengals have been known for their refusal to fairly pay their players. However, for a rookie to say these things is a red flag. There have been plenty of rookies who have signed their rookie contract with Cincy without the drama.
There were also talks before the draft about issues with his agent, which took him off many boards. Surely, his agent has a lot to do with all of this.
Meanwhile, the Falcons have signed their entire draft class and already get to see just how special they are.
The Falcons clearly weren't comfortable with Stewart leading into the draft. The similarly criticized Pearce Jr. was consistently linked with the franchise, while Stewart's name was nowhere to be seen.
All in all, the Falcons can move forward feeling great about their draft class. Ultimately, though, it will come down to what happens on the field.