Michigan football edge rusher Josaiah Stewart declares for NFL draft

Posted by author December 23, 2024 NFL

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Michigan football is losing another star to the NFL draft.

Edge rusher Josaiah Stewart announced on Monday that after two years in Ann Arbor, he is declaring for the NFL draft.

Stewart transferred to Michigan after two years playing for Coastal Carolina and made an immediate impact with the Wolverines.

While he never quite matched the impressive 12½ sacks that he racked up as a freshman playing in the Sun Belt, he was a consistent force on the edge.

Stewart had 5½ sacks and nine tackles for loss in his junior year playing for the Wolverines squad that won the national title, then followed it up with 8½ sacks and 13 tackles for loss as the best pass rusher for the Wolverines this year on the edge.

One thing that Stewart had working for him was that he always played around some elite talent while at Michigan. Stewart helped establish an elite pass-rush unit in 2024 alongside Mason Graham (a projected top-10 pick) and Kenneth Grant (another probable first-rounder if he declares), setting the tone on the edge.

According to NFL Mock Draft Database, Stewart projects as a third-round pick but some mocks have him as high as a late first-rounder.

At 6 feet 1, 245 pounds, Stewart is a little small for a prototypical edge rusher and may be knocked for that but has shown an ability to get into the backfield consistently throughout his career.