NFL Analyst Questions Bengals Top Draft Pick
But there is one player that a specific analyst has doubts about.
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In a recent article by Tony Pauline, he graded the Bengals draft class. While he gave it a solid "B", Pauline has questions about the team's first-round pick, Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart.
"I like every pick in the Bengals' draft, but I have many questions and concerns about the first selection, Shemar Stewart," Pauline wrote. "As I've written since the combine, he's been compared to former first-round bust Vernon Gholston, who was taken with the sixth pick of the 2008 draft. If the Bengals hit on Stewart, they will have really improved their defense with this draft."
While Stewart racked up a solid 65 total tackles in his three seasons with the Aggies, but his numbers getting to the quarterback do leave a bit to be desired for a Bengals team looking for a solid edge rusher.
He got 4.5 sacks in his college career, which is not great considering the Bengals had the eighth-lowest mark for sacks in 2024. The team could also be losing their superstar edge Trey Hendrickson, so they could use some help rushing the passer now more than ever.
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Stewart put up very solid numbers at the NFL Draft Combine, and the Bengals will be hoping that he can use that athleticism to prove the doubters wrong and get to the opposing quarterback.
Related: New Bengals Guard Brings 'Nastiness'
Related: Bengals Start Workouts With Surprise Injury
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Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NFL rookie stock up, stock down: Giants QB Jaxson Dart shines in preseason
Week 2 of the 2025 NFL preseason is in the books. Another exhibition matchup's allowed for more tape and information for players across the league but especially rookies. This is the first time they're getting NFL action beyond training camp practices and lining up against players they'll see on Sundays this season. Preseason performance isn't a direct indication of how a rookie will perform in the regular season; look no further than Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who recorded four drops in the 2021 NFL preseason yet went on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in the regular season. Even with exceptions like that, it's still important to take stock of how the 2025 rookie class is performing in their first weeks of NFL action. This was widely viewed as a rookie class with depth at certain positions and early-round picks who could contribute early on for their teams. Here are five rookies whose stock is up after Week 2 and five whose stock is down after another exhibition game. Stock up New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart Dart made his NFL debut with a solid showing against the Buffalo Bills. The Ole Miss product completed 12 of 19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown but had an even better showing a week later at home against the Jets. Dart looked like the best rookie passer of the week. He shook off an incompletion and sack on his first two dropbacks to finish the day 14 of 16 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing. The Giants punted on his first drive of the game but scored on the ensuing three drives with two touchdowns and a field goal. Dart was a surprise first-round pick in April but he's showing well so far. New England Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson Henderson entered the preseason with plenty of hype and delivered on his first touch in an NFL game. 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Even on one of the better defenses in the league, Higgins should earn a spot for the 53-man roster. Tampa Bay Buccaneers CB Jacob Parrish Two rookie defensive backs have tallied three pass break ups in the preseason, per PFF: Parrish and Los Angeles Chargers safety R.J. Mickens. Parrish reached that with 29 coverage snaps while Mickens did so in 96. The Kansas State product is expected to start at nickel cornerback for Tampa Bay and is already showing plenty for Buccaneers fans to be excited about. It's not just coverage snaps, either; Parrish had a stop in run defense against the Steelers to force a tackle for loss. Stock down Cleveland Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Cleveland's gone to their rookies for their first two games in the preseason. Gabriel hasn't fared as well, going 13 for 18 passing with 143 yards and two turnovers against the Philadelphia Eagles. That's a tougher opponent than fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders faced in the opener against Carolina but still not a good showing. Cleveland's opting to start the season with 40-year-old Joe Flacco at quarterback. It's not a good sign for Gabriel, who had the leg up in training camp on Sanders. Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan McMillan has high expectations as a top-10 draft pick at wide receiver. He's dealt with plenty of physicality in training camp as the Panthers coaching staff want him to adjust to the contact he'll face in the NFL. In limited game settings, it hasn't been great from the Arizona product. McMillan's played 30 total snaps through two preseason games, per PFF. On six targets in the passing game, he has as many drops (two) as receptions and just 43 yards. One of those drops came in the end zone against the Browns. McMillan will likely be a focal point of the Panthers' offense in 2025 but may still take some time to get up to speed. New York Jets OT Armand Membou Membou was one of the top tackles in the draft class alongside Will Campbell thanks to his size and impressive athleticism. That made him a plus run blocker and he's shown that well in training camp so far with New York. Pass protection may take more time as he had trouble with speed-to-power rushers at time in college and the Giants' Kayvon Thibodeaux took advantage of that in the Jets-Giants preseason game. Membou rebounded with better reps later on but still ranks as the fifth-worst rookie lineman this preseason in blocking, per PFF grading. Miami Dolphins G Jonah Savaiinaea Miami's offensive line looks much different in 2025 than last season with just one returning starter in center Aaron Brewer. Savaiinaea's played more than the other projected starters in the preseason with mixed results so far. He's allowed four pressures and one sack on 36 pass blocking plays, per PFF. His pass blocking grade (9.5) is the fourth-worst among all rookie offensive linemen this preseason. He's learning a new position at guard after playing tackle at Arizona but that's not promising considering the Dolphins gave up two Day 2 draft picks to move up and select him No. 37 overall. Las Vegas Raiders CB Darien Porter Las Vegas has arguably one of the shakiest cornerback rooms in the league after trading Jakorian Bennett to Philadelphia earlier in training camp. Porter is the team's lone draft pick in the secondary and has struggled in both coverage and run defense. Per PFF, he's logged two missed tackles in 25 run defense snaps and allowed a 100.7 passer rating when targeted on 24 coverage snaps. That's not a promising start for a projected starter in the Raiders' secondary this season who only spent one college season as a full-time starter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL rookie stock up, stock down: Dart shines in preseason Week 2
USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
Texas QB Arch Manning facing high expectations and ills of elite talent and family name
If you think you're already tired of all things Arch Manning, imagine actually being Arch Manning. Just do normal, man. Play football, go to class, hang out on Fifth Street. The next thing you know, grandpa has the next two years of your life mapped out, and he's using the Texas Monthly magazine bullhorn so the planet knows it. It's bad enough that Arch has to deal with expectations of (in this order) an unbeaten season, an SEC championship, a Heisman Trophy, a national title, and the first pick in the NFL draft — or bust. PATH TO PLAYOFF: Sign up for our college football newsletter It's bad enough that one uncle is an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, and another uncle is on his way to Canton. And that's all Arch has to live up to. It's worse that grandpa, of all people – Archie Manning, the first true college football megastar of decades gone by and a fantastic NFL star who played on some truly lousy New Orleans Saints teams – joined Team Expectation and Speculation in July to declare Arch will spend two more years at Texas before leaving for the NFL. Book it. Only there's one teeny-weeny problem: Arch is only worried about the here and now. 'I don't know where he got that from,' Manning said Monday, in his first meeting with the media since last month's SEC media days. 'He texted me to apologize about that.' Let me be the first to apologize to Arch for all of this nonsense. For the hype and the hyperbole, for Las Vegas and the Heisman odds, for failure is not an option, for putting the horse before winning a road game as an SEC starting quarterback. You know, that used to be a big deal. To be fair to Manning, he doesn't want this circus. He said in July that he doesn't deserve any of it. He can't control what a talk radio host in Miami says anymore than a television bobblehead in Los Angeles. He knows Finebaum is chumming the waters, and the SEC Network is looking for the next soundbite, and everyone – I mean, everyone – is just waiting for him to fail. Because that's what we've become in this twisted wash machine of gotta have it, gotta get it. Build 'em up, tear 'em down. He just probably never expected grandpa to join the party. No one needs the season to begin quicker than Manning, whose first test out of the gate next week is on the road against defending national champion Ohio State. And that may as well be a welcome respite from this offseason of buffoonery. Let's not forget that Arch purposely avoided any connection to the past when, as the nation's No.1 quarterback recruit, he chose a different college path. Avoid the spotlight, embrace the normal. Didn't go to Ole Miss (where Archie and uncle Eli Manning played) or Tennessee (Peyton Manning), and didn't choose Alabama or Georgia and their recent history of college football domination. Manning chose the one school where he'd blend in like any other student on an urban campus, and where he could lift a program back to championship glory. Texas hasn't won a national title since Mack Brown's team shocked Southern California in 2005. That's 20 long years for the hardcore Burnt Orange, two excruciatingly painful decades of underachieving ugly. Texas has changed everything – coaches, athletic directors, presidents, conferences – in those 20 years, and nothing has worked. Now it has a genuine difference-maker at quarterback for the first time since Colt McCoy got the Longhorns back to the national title game in 2009, but was knocked out of the game on the first drive. That eventual loss to Alabama still haunts Brown, who swears Texas had the better team and the perfect game plan to beat the Tide. MONEY GRAB: With Michigan sanctions, NCAA sells what's left of soul Now here we are in 2025, and the entire college football world hangs on all things Arch. We can't get enough of it. Some because of tantalizing thoughts of what could be with all of that talent, and others just waiting for him to throw two picks in a loss to Ohio State. Because I told you so is such an attractive look. Here's a novel idea: just let the kid play. Forget about his bloated NIL deals, or his famous last name or that he has started all of two games in two seasons at Texas. If he goes out and beats Ohio State, don't start screaming about multiple Heismans or the first pick in the NFL draft. Stay in the moment and enjoy the ride. Even if Texas gets on a roll, and there's no one stopping the train. Even if Arch looks like all the best parts of Archie, Peyton and Eli. Even if Nick Saban admits at some point this season – during one of ESPN's many GameDay shows featuring Texas – that he'd have stayed at Alabama if he could've signed Arch. Grandpa has already done enough damage. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
NFL rookie stock up, stock down: Giants QB Jaxson Dart shines in preseason
Week 2 of the 2025 NFL preseason is in the books. Another exhibition matchup's allowed for more tape and information for players across the league but especially rookies. This is the first time they're getting NFL action beyond training camp practices and lining up against players they'll see on Sundays this season. Preseason performance isn't a direct indication of how a rookie will perform in the regular season; look no further than Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who recorded four drops in the 2021 NFL preseason yet went on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in the regular season. Even with exceptions like that, it's still important to take stock of how the 2025 rookie class is performing in their first weeks of NFL action. This was widely viewed as a rookie class with depth at certain positions and early-round picks who could contribute early on for their teams. Here are five rookies whose stock is up after Week 2 and five whose stock is down after another exhibition game. Stock up Dart made his NFL debut with a solid showing against the Buffalo Bills. The Ole Miss product completed 12 of 19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown but had an even better showing a week later at home against the Jets. Dart looked like the best rookie passer of the week. He shook off an incompletion and sack on his first two dropbacks to finish the day 14 of 16 passing for 137 yards and two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing. The Giants punted on his first drive of the game but scored on the ensuing three drives with two touchdowns and a field goal. Dart was a surprise first-round pick in April but he's showing well so far. Henderson entered the preseason with plenty of hype and delivered on his first touch in an NFL game. He took the opening kickoff of the Patriots' preseason opener against Washington 100 yards for a touchdown. Henderson has just five carries on offense in the preseason but he's averaging 7.6 yards per carry. That's exactly the kind of explosiveness the Patriots offense needs and a good reason why Henderson is shooting up fantasy football draft boards. Detroit traded up for TeSlaa in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft in a surprising move. The Arkansas product had plenty of traits but little production in the SEC with 897 yards and five touchdowns over two years with the Razorbacks. TeSlaa's size (6-4 and 217 pounds) gives him the frame to be a solid blocker and that's shown up in training camp already. He's been just as impressive as a receiver with an outstanding catch against the Miami Dolphins for a touchdown in the red zone. There's little doubt he'll be a key piece in the Lions wide receiver group behind All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Higgins had a standout college career at Iowa. He led the FBS in tackles in 2023, earned two first-team All-Big Ten honors and was the conference linebacker of the year in 2024. He went undrafted in April, though, likely due to his poor testing numbers and size (6-foot, 224 pounds) at the NFL combine. He's been one of the best linebackers in the NFL during the preseason, both by the eye test and Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades. In the opener against the Indianapolis Colts, Higgins showed out in pass rush, run defense and coverage assignments. His high motor kept him involved in all scenarios. Higgins got his first career sack against the Cowboys a week later and forced a fumble on Dallas quarterback Will Grier by timing his punch perfectly. Even on one of the better defenses in the league, Higgins should earn a spot for the 53-man roster. Two rookie defensive backs have tallied three pass break ups in the preseason, per PFF: Parrish and Los Angeles Chargers safety R.J. Mickens. Parrish reached that with 29 coverage snaps while Mickens did so in 96. The Kansas State product is expected to start at nickel cornerback for Tampa Bay and is already showing plenty for Buccaneers fans to be excited about. It's not just coverage snaps, either; Parrish had a stop in run defense against the Steelers to force a tackle for loss. Stock down Cleveland's gone to their rookies for their first two games in the preseason. Gabriel hasn't fared as well, going 13 for 18 passing with 143 yards and two turnovers against the Philadelphia Eagles. That's a tougher opponent than fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders faced in the opener against Carolina but still not a good showing. Cleveland's opting to start the season with 40-year-old Joe Flacco at quarterback. It's not a good sign for Gabriel, who had the leg up in training camp on Sanders. McMillan has high expectations as a top-10 draft pick at wide receiver. He's dealt with plenty of physicality in training camp as the Panthers coaching staff want him to adjust to the contact he'll face in the NFL. In limited game settings, it hasn't been great from the Arizona product. McMillan's played 30 total snaps through two preseason games, per PFF. On six targets in the passing game, he has as many drops (two) as receptions and just 43 yards. One of those drops came in the end zone against the Browns. McMillan will likely be a focal point of the Panthers' offense in 2025 but may still take some time to get up to speed. Membou was one of the top tackles in the draft class alongside Will Campbell thanks to his size and impressive athleticism. That made him a plus run blocker and he's shown that well in training camp so far with New York. Pass protection may take more time as he had trouble with speed-to-power rushers at time in college and the Giants' Kayvon Thibodeaux took advantage of that in the Jets-Giants preseason game. Membou rebounded with better reps later on but still ranks as the fifth-worst rookie lineman this preseason in blocking, per PFF grading. Miami's offensive line looks much different in 2025 than last season with just one returning starter in center Aaron Brewer. Savaiinaea's played more than the other projected starters in the preseason with mixed results so far. He's allowed four pressures and one sack on 36 pass blocking plays, per PFF. His pass blocking grade (9.5) is the fourth-worst among all rookie offensive linemen this preseason. He's learning a new position at guard after playing tackle at Arizona but that's not promising considering the Dolphins gave up two Day 2 draft picks to move up and select him No. 37 overall. Las Vegas has arguably one of the shakiest cornerback rooms in the league after trading Jakorian Bennett to Philadelphia earlier in training camp. Porter is the team's lone draft pick in the secondary and has struggled in both coverage and run defense. Per PFF, he's logged two missed tackles in 25 run defense snaps and allowed a 100.7 passer rating when targeted on 24 coverage snaps. That's not a promising start for a projected starter in the Raiders' secondary this season who only spent one college season as a full-time starter.
