Colts' Grover Stewart Team's Most Underrated Player?
They say that it's the quiet ones that you have to worry about, which also translates to the football field.
Some of the best, most respected players in the league are underrated weapons who don't rake in the rewards or recognition but show up week in and week out and are relied upon by their teammates and coaches.
This is the case for Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart, who was recently declared the team's most underrated player by Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr.
What’s cool about Stewart, the former Albany Great Dane, is that he’s become a good enough defensive player that he can’t be left single blocked, given how heavy-handed he’s become and how destructive he can be simply romping his way into the backfield. For the Colts’ stunt-heavy defense under former coordinator Matt Eberflus, this was a dream come true. For DeForest Buckner, it’s probably the best pairing he’s had on a defensive line since his Super Bowl run with the 49ers. Stewart played on almost 60% of the Colts’ snaps and was not a run-exclusive player, affecting the passing game with his long limbs and comfort moving around a mass of bodies trying to get hands on him. Stewart saved the Colts almost 70 total rushing yards by his presence on the field last year, according to NFL GSIS data. Teams running the ball against Indianapolis without Stewart gained almost 0.2 yards extra per carry. Over the course of a long season, that matters.
Stewart — the NFLPA's 2022 Black College Football Pro Player of the Year — was originally drafted by the Colts in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Albany State.
He spent the first two seasons of his career still developing as a rotational piece but took over as a full-time starter at nose tackle (one-technique) in 2019. Stewart has started 47-of-79 career games, totaling 169 tackles (16 for loss), 4.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 4 pass breakups, and 20 quarterback hits.
His ability to push the pocket in the passing game but especially collapse the trenches against the run has made him an invaluable piece of a Colts' defensive line that has done quite well versus runners in recent years.
During the 2020 season, Stewart signed a three-year, $30.75 million contract extension, making him one of the best-paid interior defensive linemen in the league.
Last year, he was Pro Football Focus' 13th-ranked NFL interior defensive tackle with a career-high grade of 72.6. They credited him with 22 quarterback pressures and 23 "stops," which they consider to be a forced failure against the offense. Since becoming a starter, he's never posted a run-stop grade below 70.5.
Is Stewart underrated? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!
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