ArDarius Stewart 2017 NFL Draft Profile

ArDarius Stewart 2017 NFL Draft Profile

Bama’s ArDarius Stewart was a consistent producer for the Crimson Tide over the last two seasons. At 6’1” and 204 pounds, he has good but not great size for the position in the NFL. He is big enough that he is difficult to take down, and serves as an excellent blocker downfield and on screen plays. He has had excellent coaching and played in big games against top college competition.

Stewart was a four-star recruit out of Fultondale, AL who redshirted in 2013. The following year he played mostly in a reserve role, but got a couple of starts late in the season. In his final two years he really came into his own. In 2015 as a sophomore he had 63 receptions for 700 yards, and in his junior season he had 58 receptions for 864 yards and eight touchdowns. Following his junior season, he declared for the NFL Draft.

Stewart was one of the Tide’s go-to guys. In addition to the pass game, they utilized him regularly rushing the ball on jet sweeps. Stewart is not the fastest receiver in this draft class, but once he gets going he is difficult to catch. He was not only a deep threat in Bama’s passing game, but had an ability to run after the catch that made him dangerous on short passes as well. He is surprisingly shifty for a man on his size, and is able to shack underneath defenders and make short passes into big gains. Stewart is not only an effective blocker, he seems to like it. He has a bit of a mean streak to him from time to time and it shows.

Strengths

productive and reliable;

good blocker;

shifty for his size;

fast when he is able to open up his stride;

not someone who will be arm tackled;

contributed on special teams.

Weaknesses

does not have blazing speed;

tends to round off his routes;

put up good numbers, but not numbers that jump off the page;

doesn’t come back to the ball as well as you’d like;

has difficulty in jump ball situations;

inconsistent catching poorly placed balls.

NFL Comparison: Michael Floyd

Teams with Need a Position: Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers,

Projection: Third Round

Bottom Line

ArDarius Stewart is not big enough to get people really excited about his size and not fast enough to get people really excited about his speed. He is however a consistent producer who has played the best competition in college football in the biggest games. He is a good blocker and dependable receiver who can not only stretch the field, but can create big plays running after the catch on shorter throws. Stewart will need to work on several areas of his game including making contested catches and winning jump ball situations. With some work, the combination of things that Stewart can do could open up the door for NFL success.