Wolverine Digest

Stock rising quickly for Michigan Football defender

Chris Breiler

A Michigan football helmet on the field during warmup at the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024.
A Michigan football helmet on the field during warmup at the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
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There were plenty of question marks surrounding the Michigan football program heading into Saturday's season-opener against Fresno State, but very few of those question marks were on the defensive side of the ball. Even after losing key contributors like Mike Sainristil, Jaylen Harrell, Mike Barrett, Junior Colson, and Kris Jenkins, the Michigan defense is still loaded with future NFL Draft picks that are going to have a massive impact on the 2024 season. Although guys like Will Johnson, Mason Graham, and Kenneth Grant receive most of the attention, senior edge rusher Josaiah Stewart is seeing his stock rise quickly after Week 1.

Jim Nagy, the executive director of Reese's Senior Bowl (and Michigan alum), shared his thoughts on Stewart following his impressive performance against the Bulldogs to open the season.

"Saturday's impressive opening game performance only made the staff more convicted
Michigan's Josaiah Stewart is who we thought he was. He was a violent tone-setter all night vs. Fresno [State] and NFL scouts will love the physicality & passion he plays with. Rather than post his two sacks, we wanted to show Stewart's versatility as a space player here. Unlike the vast majority of EDGE prospects in this year's draft, Stewart isn't just a 'goes forward' player...he actually has a reverse gear that makes him a legit dropper too."

PFF College noted that Stewart finished the evening with two sacks and four QB pressures, along with a 50 percent pass rush win rate and a 90.8 pass rush grade. Stewarts overall grade of 91.3 made him the highest-graded defender for Michigan following Saturday's Week 1 victory.

If Stewart can continue to perform at a high level throughout Michigan's difficult 2024 schedule, you can expect the talented edge rusher to move up draft boards considerably in the coming weeks. He'll get a great opportunity to make his case this weekend against Quinn Ewers and the No. 4 Texas Longhorns. That game is set to kick off at Noon on FOX.

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Chris Breiler

CHRIS BREILER

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