Josaiah Stewart Scouting Report
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Ric Tapia/Getty Images)
School: Michigan
Class: Senior
Position: EDGE
HT: 6’1
WT: 249 lbs
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Background: Josaiah Stewart was a 3-star edge rusher from the Bronx, New York. He moved to Everett, Massachusetts, where he played for their high school. Stewart only played one and a half seasons of high school football due to being a late bloomer and a shortened 2020 season. He played on both sides of the ball as tight end and defensive end. Out of high school, Stewart chose to play for Coastal Carolina over Michigan.
College: As a true freshman, Josaiah Stewart was named All-Sun Bet First Team after starting 6 games and appearing in all 13 games. He led all true freshmen with 15.5 tackles for loss. He followed that up with an All-Sun Belt Second Team nomination as a sophomore. He was one of the most disruptive defenders in the conference. After two seasons dominating the Sun Belt Conference, Stewart transferred to the other school that made a strong push for him out of high school, Michigan. Stewart had a terrific 2024 campaign. He managed to get 8.5 sacks and 13 TFLs. He had a good enough season to be named an All-Big 10 second team selection.
Strengths: Josaiah Stewart was a member of the championship Michigan defense. He brings electricity to the edge with his ability to convert speed to power. Stewart gains momentum going into the point of attack in order to gain leverage and knock offensive linemen off their anchor. He sets the edge with explosiveness off the line. Stewart does well to utilize active and heavy hands to deconstruct blocks. Stewart has a sturdy build for the position, it is difficult to knock him off his rush. Despite being able to win with power, he does not sacrifice bend or movement ability. He demonstrates excellent hip flexion off the edge to get low and cut inside to make a play in the backfield without taking himself too far up field. Stewart can win in a variety of ways off the line as he has won as a traditional defensive end in a 4-man front, but he has also won as an OLB in a 3-4 defense. Stewart is a plus run defender off the edge, where he sets contain and is hard to move off his spot.
Weaknesses: Stewart plays with a tunnel vision that can cause him to guess wrong. He can be susceptible play action or option plays in the backfield. Stewart can be indecisive on the edge and does not take every opportunity to cut inside off the edge when it is given. He could afford to be a bit more determined to get into the pocket by any means necessary. While he has a dense and strong build, he does not have elite measurements, leading to him being long armed in the phone booth.
Conclusion: Josaiah Stewart has been a productive player during both stops of his career. His pass rushing production is undeniable and he has all of the tools to be a contributor in the NFL. He is scheme versatile and has a variety of ways to win off the edge. He will be valuable both as a pass rusher and as a run defender. He will need to prove that he can handle play action but he is ready for the NFL game.
Scheme Fit: Scheme Versatile
Ideal Role: EDGE
Best Team Fits: CIN, ARI, DAL
Player Comparison: Uchenna Nwosu
Player Grade: Round 3 (77.7)
