Shemar Stewart was your typical high-ceiling, low-floor edge rusher coming out of Texas A&M.
He has outstanding athleticism, but his 1.5 sacks and concerns over his character left teams worried about drafting him in the first round. Nevertheless, the Cincinnati Bengals were comfortable taking him No. 17, and they are regretting it already.
Atlanta Falcons dodged a bullet by passing on Texas A&M EDGE Shemar Stewart
It is no secret that the Falcons were targeting James Pearce Jr. with the No. 15 pick. However, when Jalon Walker fell to them, they couldn't pass on the local product.
In the end, they landed both Walker and Pearce, leaving us all hopeful for the future.
But, it is hard to imagine that they weren't tempted by Shemar Stewart.
Stewart is a big, long, and fast edge rusher who struggled to produce in college.
Additionally, there were concerns about his character; concerns that have already reared their ugly head for the Bengals.
Taking a stand like that as a rookie is quite a bold move, and one that no team would appreciate.
This leaves one important question: if he is taking a stand like that after proving nothing, what happens when he finds a little success? What type of stands will he take then?
We should be celebrating that the Falcons avoided this mistake.
While James Pearce Jr. has had his own concerns off the field, they haven't been too worrisome. The Falcons also spent a lot of time with him and were comfortable making a big move back into the first round for a talented player.
Clearly, they didn't vet Stewart the same way they did Pearce. We never heard the two sides being connected, and that was for a reason.
We should be glad we got two guys who already want to get to work and aren't wasting time over small contractual issues.