Bengals Draft 'Most Polarizing' Edge In First Round

The Cincinnati Bengals have used their first-round selection in this NFL Draft on Texas A&M defensive end Shemar Stewart. ... who figures to help in maybe two ways.

Optimistically? Stewart provides a partner to play opposite Trey Hendrickson this season.

Pessimistically? He also provides insurance in case they cannot agree to terms with Hendrickson on an extension.

Stewart had 65 tackles in his career at TAMU. ... but he only had 4.5 sacks during his time at College Station, so there is a concern about talent turning into production.

But the numbers?

The South Florida product is 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds. He ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in February in 4.59 seconds to go along with a 40-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot, 11-inch broad jump.

But ...

By statistical comparison, Abdul Carter, who went No. 3 to the New York Giants, had 12 sacks on his own last season. 

Stewart will have to improve his numbers - and maybe his pass-rush technique - once he new defensive coordinator Al Golden gets his hands on him.

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said Stewart is "easily the most polarizing pass rusher." He creates a lot of havoc in the backfield, but does not sack the quarterback all that often. 

Maybe, though ... That is something he can work on once he gets to camp.

"He is the ultimate example of traits versus production," Jeremiah said on a conference call this week. "He has got all kinds of twitch, he’s explosive, he’s disruptive. He just hasn’t been able to finish, to compile sacks."

NBC Sports draft analyst Connor Rogers said the coaches and scouts had to evaluate whether his lack of finishing on plays would have created his stock to drop. 

It obviously did not - to too great a degree - as he still went in the first round.

"It opens the door for a really interesting conversation about a guy that disrupts plays but doesn’t finish plays and has the size and athleticism that you want at the NFL level,” Rogers said. “How high do coaches and evaluators value that?"

Cincy is about to find out.