2025 NFL Draft Review Part Two - Josaiah Stewart

Introduction

After picking at 46, the Rams had to wait until pick 90 to make their only selection of the third round due to giving up pick 101 in the trade back with Atlanta. As the second night went on, it seemed as though there were a lot of good, solid starters available for the Rams to take when it came around to their pick.

It was a little frustrating for the Rams though, as two specific players were taken before they reached the Rams – both by the Kansas City Chiefs. It has been reported that during the second night of the draft, the Rams had a deal in place with the Jaguars to move up to pick 70 in exchange for next years second round pick. However, this never came to fruition as, according to reports, as soon as edge rusher Ashton Gillotte was taken at pick 66 by the Chiefs, the Rams pulled out of the deal. While a second-round pick is a steep price to pay, I really liked Gillotte who has the potential to turn in to top-tier edge rusher if he can work on his bend at the top of his rush. 

As a result, the Rams elected to stick at 90 and see who fell into their lap. Unfortunately, another of my favourite players projected to go around this time went to the Chiefs at pick 85. Nohl Williams, the corner out of Cal, seemed destined to stay in LA and add to the Rams corner room as a well-built, instinctive zone coverage corner who had some of the best ball skills in the draft (7 interceptions just last year), but the Chiefs pounced just before the Rams were on the clock.

With those two prospects off the board, the Rams had a decision to make on who they liked the most and they selected edge rusher out of Michigan, Josaiah Stewart.

Rams select Stewart at pick 90

After the Rams lost Michael Hoecht in free agency to the Bills, the outside linebacker/edge rusher room was looking relatively thin despite having Jared Verse and Byron Young. Brennan Jackson and Nick Hampton do offer some depth but if the Rams want to rotate their defensive line similarly to the Eagles, then they needed to add another difference maker to their defensive front.

If you look at the Rams’ edge rushers over the past year or two, they all have similar qualities: a never-ending motor, the ability to transition from speed to power during a rush and just pure, fiery competitiveness. Stewart has all three of these traits in abundance.

There were numerous plays throughout his college career, both at Coastal Carolina and Michigan, where any normal player would’ve given up on the play, but Stewart always played until the whistle. Most commonly, he was able to track down running back who had been directed to the opposite side of the field or he was able to stick with scrambling quarterbacks trying to get round the edge of the defence, but Stewart would always give his all to stop them in both scenarios.  

The Rams will want Stewart to help fill the void of Michael Hoecht this year. Hoecht was used as somewhat of a Swiss army knife, rushing from almost any position on the defensive line and having the versatility to confuse defences. A factor that may have played a part in the Rams drafting Stewart is his ability to drop back in to zone coverage. This is something the Rams have utilised a lot with their edge rushers, mostly with Hoecht, so Stewart’s experience may prove very useful as that versatile piece on the defensive line.

However, Stewart is a little undersized for the position at just 6”1 and 249 pounds which is significantly smaller than the other players in the room, as well as Hoecht. In college, this wasn’t much of a problem as his athleticism made up for his lack of size and length, but this is something that could get exploited by larger, more experienced and skilled tackles in the NFL. He did use it somewhat to his advantage in college as he could dip under the arms of tackles and have a free run at the QB, but this was also a concern at times as it meant that his head would go down and he would lose sight of the play and occasionally get out of position or miss tackle opportunities. 

Despite those worries, it’s very clear to see he has the athleticism to be a very good edge rusher in the NFL. He can attack in a multitude of ways but his speed and elusiveness off the edge is mightily impressive. The way he bends at the top of his rush to get around the tackle and collapse the pocket around the QB is such a valuable asset to any edge rusher and he has mastered it. This also helps contain scrambling quarterbacks as tackles can’t manage to push Stewart deep into the pocket and allow a lane to open for the QB to escape through which is very important when you’re in a division with Kyler Murray.

The only other minor knock on Stewart was his use of counters. The fact that Stewart often won quickly either off the line or with his speed to power moves, meant that he didn’t often have to use counters. Counters are commonly used when offensive linemen make the first move, often trying to get their hands on the defensive linemen and keeping them at arm’s length. Stewart needs to trust his skills more, rather than rely on purely his athleticism to win against linemen as this may get shown up in the NFL. Moves such as swim, spin, swipe, rip and club moves can be used to gain an advantage rather than his pure speed and power. I trust the Rams coaching staff and the whole defensive line room (Kobie Turner especially who sprung into a leadership role after Aaron Donald retired) to be able to coach Stewart on how to use these moves to his advantage and become an even more versatile defensive lineman.

Another aspect of Stewart’s game that I’m sure the Rams loved, is his leadership and general personality. Just from listening to Stewarts interviews you can tell that, while he is extremely competitive, he is just a great person to have in the locker room. He speaks eloquently and comes across as a very personable character who will be loved by everyone linked to the organisation. He was also made a team captain in his final year at college, despite only being at Michigan for his final two years. Leadership qualities are vital in what is a very young defensive line group for the Rams, and Stewart really made an impression on his teammates and coaches during his two years at Michigan. He is commonly quoted as being a coaches dream and a humble human being who is grateful for everything that comes his way.

Draft pick grade: A-

Conclusion

I know many Rams fans probably thought that edge rusher wasn’t a need for the Rams when they took Stewart, especially in the third round as their second pick of the draft. However, to get a player with this quality and potential at pick 90 is exciting, and the depth behind Verse and Young is very thin and inexperienced so the Rams did have to get some help in that room.

Personally, I wasn’t screaming out for anyone left on the board at this point, so I don’t think the Rams missed out on an obviously better prospect than Stewart which is why I gave this pick an A-, compared to the B+ I gave the Terrance Ferguson selection.

He is everything that the Rams want out of both an edge rusher and a general member of their locker room. Stewart has a great temperament and will fit in seamlessly with the other guys in the defensive line room who share his love for the game and high level of competitiveness where they all work for and with each other to achieve their goal of bringing another Lombardi to SoFi Stadium for the Rams.