Some prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft are favored over others as it pertains to the LA Chargers. Fans have already latched onto prospects before draft night as if they are guaranteed to be on the Bolts. That is why fans will inevitably be disappointed if Michigan's Colston Loveland doesn't fall to the No. 22 pick.
Just because the fanbase loves a player head and shoulders above the rest does not mean the Chargers feel the same way. Why the Bolts almost certainly value Loveland and would love to see him available with the No. 22 pick, he is not the only prospect to get excited about.
In fact, NFL Combine standout Shemar Stewart has all the makings of being a Jim Harbaugh guy and might be standing neck-and-neck with Loveland on the Chargers' draft board. That's the feeling fans should get after NFL insider Jonathan Jones' latest mock draft in which the Bolts take Stewart with the No. 22 pick.
"The draft can be cruel, and that's seen above where Pittsburgh takes a Michigan man just before Jim Harbaugh is on the clock," Jones writes. "No matter, the Chargers eye a pass rusher in Stewart, who is always around the quarterback but never finishing (which is what causes him to fall in this mock.) The Bolts need some youth at pass rush, and they'll coach up Stewart to get the sacks."
Chargers draft Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart in 2025 NFL mock draft
Jones' assessment of Stewart nad his inability to finish on the quarterback may seem like a daming review of what he can do (especially when contrasted by the fact that Kenneth Grant was selected with the No. 21 pick).
While the analysis may slant in the negative variety, we can assure Chargers fans that Stewart would be an exciting selection for the Bolts in the first round. He may not be the best possible selection, but he is as good as a plan B can get with a late first-round pick.
Stewart has all the makings of being someone who would thrive on a Harbaugh-led team. The Texas A&M edge rusher has the physical traits that can translate to a legitimate elite ceiling at the NFL level. All it takes is the right coaching, and on the Chargers, he would receive just that.
Stewart has a nasty streak about his game that would undoubtedly excite Harbaugh. While his production stats don't match the tape, his ability to use physicality and force to collapse the line of scrimmage is something that will translate well at the NFL level.
Technique-wise, Stewart has a few areas he could clean up but he would still be impactful in his rookie year. The Chargers could absolutely use a physical edge rusher to add to the team's current rotation. Based on his current strengths, Stewart would perform best on early downs as a menacing run-stopper who could also succeed against play-action.
The long-term goal would be for Stewart to develop into an every-down edge rusher, which he certainly has the traits to do. In a perfect world, he would replace Khalil Mack once he eventually sets off into the sunset in retirement.