The Cincinnati Bengals earned a variety of grades and reactions by selecting Shemar Stewart with the No. 17 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Similarly, what draft experts and scouts had to say about Stewart even before the NFL draft itself is just as mixed.

The Cincinnati Bengals selecting Shemar Stewart in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft was one big part of the team's overall draft class earning such mixed reviews in the grades department. But not every person outside the organization and parts of the fanbase are down on the Stewart pick.

CINCINNATI — Former NFL All-Pro and future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Luke Kuechly, appeared on Up & Adams with Kay Adams this week and declared Shemar Stewart has the highest ceiling of any defensive end in the 2025 NFL Draft.