Why the Rams coveted former Michigan football EDGE Josaiah Stewart

[ASFN Admin]

The expectation was that Michigan football edge rusher Josaiah Stewart would come off the board in the 2025 NFL draft at some point on Friday, but it was unclear when.

The Detroit Lions had brought Stewart in for a top 30 visit and seemed to be the most interested, but the local franchise ended up selecting an offensive guard and a wide receiver, moving up to get the latter. So picks flew by and Stewart waited.

Ultimately, the Los Angeles Rams -- the team that drafted Blake Corum in 2024 -- benefitted from Stewart not going to the Lions, and ended up picking him up in the third round on Friday.

Head coach Sean McVay shared that one of the things that made Stewart so appealing is his production (8.5 sacks) in an NFL-caliber defense.

One thing that McVay said aided the evaluation of Stewart was the fact that he played under a current NFL defensive coordinator (the Chargers' Jesse Minter, who held the same position at Michigan in 2023) and a former one in Don 'Wink' Martindale.

"Obviously Wink is really close with Drew Wilkins, who we just hired as our pass rush coordinator, so there's some intimate knowledge," McVay said, alluding to their time spent together on the Ravens' coaching staff from 2012-2021. "There's also an acknowledgement and an understanding of a lot of the similar concepts that we would activate. And that what (Rams defensive coordinator) Chris (Shula) has really done an excellent job of being flexible and fluid. And so that certainly helped."

Still, it was "ultimately" about Stewart's body of work and who he is as a person, McVay said.

Stewart got his start with Coastal Carolina where he burst onto the scene as a true freshman. His production fell off a bit as a sophomore, but then he transferred to Michigan football where he thrived -- first as a reserve player in his junior year and then as a starter his senior campaign.

He may be undersized compared to other elite pass rushers, but if his final play in the Rose Bowl against Alabama is any indicator, he should continue to thrive at the pro level.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Rams coach Sean McVay shares what he liked most about Josaiah Stewart

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