Scouting Profile: Josaiah Stewart - EDGE - Michigan
Sales Pitch: Explosive rush backer with a nasty temperament. Undersized EDGE with limited versatility that is not afraid to punch above his weight class.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Josaiah Stewart is a former 3-Star recruit from the state of Massachusetts. He began his career at Coastal Carolina, receiving All-Sun Belt honors in both seasons before transferring to Michigan. Stewart was a rotational piece for the National Championship team in 2023 before emerging as a starter and All-Big 10 rusher in 2024.
Stewart is an explosive rusher with a small compact frame. He had an excellent season in 2024 with 37 pressures and 9 sacks, with an eye popping 28% win rate, a clip good for 2nd in the country. Stewart has a dynamite first step to quickly drive out of his stance. He displays the COD and agility to quickly stop and start his momentum and freeze tackles in space. He has a good collection of rush moves with quick hands. Stewart primarily rushes from the Wide-9, where he uses the run way to build up his speed and covert it to power. He has violent hands with wicked power to stun blockers and get first knockback. While not the bendiest player, his shorter stature and excellent contact balance allow him to drop his frame and corner to finish pressures. Stewart lacks the size to be a plus run defender but don’t tell him that. He has a nasty demeanor and loves to seek out contact. He is often first to initiate an engagement and can be seen flying at the chest of tight ends and pulling lineman. Stewart displays good pound for pound strength and the natural leverage to hold his ground against base blocks on the edge as well.
Stewart is a small player, even by 3-4 rush backer standards, and his lack of size and length limits him. When asked to rush from more condensed alignments, he fails to generate the power he needs to win on a consistently basis. He also struggles to turn the corner in confined spaces, because his stockier frame lacks natural bend. It mostly restricts him as a run defender. Despite his best efforts he lacks the length and mass to hold up versus tackles when they can get hands on. He will never be able to be reduced down inside where he is exposed to double teams and probably can’t be a 3-down starter, particularly in even fronts. Stewart also gets caught with his head down when trying to fight through contact, which allows backs to spill through his gap. His aggression is amazing but it creates issues with gap soundness and tackling in the run game.
Stewart projects as a 3-4 rush backer who primarily operates as the #3 in a rotation. His rush profile and overall attitude are valuable traits for any defense, even if he’s not a every down starter. Stewart projects as a Day-2 pick for an odd front team looking for some pass rush juice.