The Cincinnati Bengals opted for one of the nation’s top pass-rushing prospects in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft when they took Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart with Thursday night’s 17th pick overall.
The 6-5, 267-pound Stewart with a tremendous 40-inch vertical leap and an impressive 4.59-second 40-yard dash time, is the long and sudden prototype of the modern edge player.
The Miami, Florida native had a big-time Senior Bowl performance in Mobile, Alabama, and drew high-character grades through the draft process. Shemar had 4.5 sacks over three seasons and 37 games, but his enormous ceiling is inescapable. His defenders point to Odafe Oweh, a 6-5, 255-pounder the Bengals know well.
Joe Burrow gets blasted for allegedly having a beer
Shemar Stewart visited the Cincinnati Bengals‘ main facilites that include Paul Brown Stadium a day after getting drafted by the Ohio team. The big man quickly embraced his new team’s mentality, as he promised to give everything he got for the squad.
And one of his new teammates was in the building in preparation for the new season: none other than superstar quarterback Joe Burrow, who’s always on the grind on his road to take the Bengals to the promised land and get their first Vince Lombardy Trophy.
Burrow welcomed Stewart to the team with a big hug and he introduced himself as “Joe, by the way,” and just as Shemar was about to respond, the QB was on his way out. However, what fans noticed the most – beside the “down to business” type of mentality from Joe – was a bottle the leader was carrying on his left hand.
“Joe’s having a Friday afternoon beer? Love to see it!” posted an X user. “Is he drinking a beer?” somebody else asked. “Burrow already an alcoholic because of his team,” another user joked. However, a Bengals fan was quick to point out that what Joe was really carrying was a root beer cola, which is far from liquor.
The Bengals feel good about their future
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor‘s offseason vision of attacking his Super Bowl contender’s roster with a re-constituted coaching staff and an influx of youth crystallized Friday night in the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft. This could be the start of the road to a championship, if everything falls into place.
With the Bengals staring Friday at the name of South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. at the top of their draft board, they pulled the trigger at No. 49 to take one of the draft’s most pro-ready players at age 25 who immediately competes to be Logan Wilson‘s Opening Day running mate.
Then Cincinnati held tightly to one of their highest-rated guards and took Georgia’s Dylan Fairchild at No. 81 in the third round. Taylor and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher told you what they thought about that pick when they walked into the media room and promptly said Fairchild is in the competition to start at left guard.
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