Evan Stewart

[Twopointtry]

Electric Slide

Oregon WR Evan Stewart was the number one ranked WR recruit in 2022 per 247Sports. He was ranked higher than Luther Burden (2), Tetairoa McMillan (4), Matthew Golden (25), Omar Cooper Jr. (80) and Denzel Boston (146). Other boards had him as the 2nd WR, just behind Burden. Stewart was supposed to become the next DeVonta Smith and be a 1st round NFL draft pick. The composite rankings had Stewart as the 11th best recruit in the country. ahead of Sonny Styles. Ty Simpson was 26th.

In May of 2025, Stewart was still projected to be a 1st round pick. Todd McShay mocked him as the 14th overall pick for the 2026 draft. Josh Edwards mocked him 18th overall. A different CBSSports mock had him as the 30th overall pick. The following month, Stewart tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during an off-season workout. Currently, it feels iffy whether Stewart will get drafted at all. His 2026 tape hasn't been that impressive, and I have been moving multiple other WRs ahead of him on the board. There are too many negatives with him, which have relegated him to UDFA territory on several draft boards.

On the other hand, I think there is a fair argument that Stewart is a better prospect than Mario Craver, who is a late 2nd to early 3rd round prospect on many boards and sometimes has been mocked as a 1st round pick. Stewart is also very similar to Ryan Coleman-Williams, who is a potential 1st round selection. RCW is currently dealing with lower body and head injuries and had similar injuries in 2025, so he has his own durability questions. If the Rams wanted to acquire a speed WR to fill Tutu Atwell's role, would it be better to target Craver or RCW in the 2nd round or hope that Stewart goes undrafted and try to sign him as an UDFA?

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, Age: Evan Stewart. Turns 24 in September of 2027. 5th year senior. Texas A&M 2022 to 2023. Oregon 2024 to present.

Size, estimated speed: Listed 6 feet tall, 178 pounds. DraftBuzz estimated 4.33 seconds in 40. Draftscout estimated 4.38 seconds in 40, 5'11 5/8'' tall, 170 pounds.

Consensus 5-star recruit. One of the top recruits at any position in the country. Jason Witten was his HS coach. Moved from Memphis, TN to Texas in middle school. Was a good soccer player, didn't have much interest in football. Switched over to football his SO year when Witten talked him into joining the football team and initially was a defensive back. Breakout JR season.

Opted out of his SR season in HS after 3 games. State long jump champion, also sprinter and triple jumper in HS. Had 46-913-9 receiving as JR.

Very active on social media. Has 2.1 million followers on Tik Tok (Puka Nacua has about 200k followers). Many of his videos are about him dancing. Upbeat, very outgoing, fun loving personality.

Decommitted from Texas. Ty Simpson went on social media at the time and tried to recruit Stewart to go to Alabama. Stewart said that he wanted to go to Bama from TXAM but changed his mind after Saban retired. In a 2023 interview, Stewart said that he intended to enter the 2025 NFL draft (he would have been an early entrant).

Right foot injury in 2023. Lower leg injury 2023. Didn't play in bowl game after 2024 season due to back injury. Torn patellar tendon in right knee in June of 2025.

2022 (10games, 8 starts) 53-649-2 receiving, 1 fumble. Led TXAM in catches and receiving yards.
2023 (8g, 7st) 38-514-4, 1 fumble. Second on TXAM in receiving yards per game, behind Ainias Smith.
2024 (13g, 12st) 48-613-5, 1 fumble. Played with Dillon Gabriel and Terrance Ferguson. 3rd on team on receiving yards, just ahead of Ferguson. Tez Johnson (7th round 2025) led the team in receiving.
Missed entire 2025 season due to injury
2026 (5g, 5st) 27-352-4, 2 fumbles

3 career rushing attempts, 7 career punt returns (7.0 ave), 1 kick return.

Will Stein was Oregon's OC in 2024. His replacement for 2026, Drew Mehringer, is on the hot seat after Oregon's poor start.

Todd McShay early mock for 2026 draft, 14th overall (1st round)
Josh Edwards early mock for 2026, 18th overall (1st round)
Draftscout 2nd round projection, 42nd overall prospect, the next WR after Ryan Coleman-Williams and just ahead of Nick Marsh at 44.
Sam Teets 110, late 3rd to early 4th round tier.
NFLMDD consensus 174 (5th rd) just ahead of Griffin Wilde
Drafttek 179 (late 5th to 6th rd) just ahead of Mike Matthews
Buffalo Fambase 183 (6th round)
Jacob Infante 193 (6th rd)
SticktotheModel projected UDFA, 206
AtoZ draft simulator 219 (7th round) just ahead of Mike Matthews
Shane Hallam mock draft 226, 7th round.
Fanspeak 273 (UDFA)
DraftBuzz projected UDFA, 359. (+) Explosive, rare speed, proven production, sudden releases, route quickness. (-) Injuries, slight frame, durability concerns, not dominant stats.
Ian Cummings 539 (UDFA)
First&Ten not ranked on board
Tankathon not ranked in top 157
Brian Bosarge 30th out of 30 WRs (UDFA), ranked so low that he's behind Danny Scudero (25th)

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 2: Strengths

Very light on feet. Sudden and loose athlete. Easy change of direction. Flexible.

Good deep speed. NFL level route tempo.

Immediately applies pressure to defensive backs with immediate burst and acceleration off the line.

Solid contact balance and short area burst for YAC.

Electric punt return athleticism. A candidate to return punts in the NFL.

While he's not a good blocker, is sufficiently competitive and gives effort to try to sustain blocks.

82.7 PFN impact score for 2026, 72nd out of 575 WRs with 7.8 YAC per catch. Improved from 76.2 impact score in 2024, which was 120th in country (just ahead of CJ Daniels, who was 122nd), with only 3.2 YAC per catch.

Similar to players such as Tre Richardson, RCW and Atwell, at the end of the day he's simply a fast WR, so regardless of any other flaws he has as a prospect, the defense still has to respect his big-play potential, even if he's the last WR on an NFL team's roster.

Was on a stacked offense in 2024. Played on teams in 2026, 2022 and 2023 with revolving door QB chaos. So, a variety of different issues have impacted his statistical production.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 3: Weaknesses

Has never had a 1,000-yard receiving season at any level, including HS.

Lengthy injury history, including serious injury to his right leg.

Very slight build, slender with thin arms and legs. Lacks play strength. Undersized and underpowered for the pros.

Personality might rub some coaches the wrong way, because he likes being a celebrity. He's not a "keep your head down" grinder with a blue-collar mentality. A modern, social media age athlete and like JJ McCarthy some older coaches might struggle to understand, reach and connect with younger players in this mold. Very highly-touted 5-star recruit who has never lived up to lofty expectations. He makes excuses for himself in interviews instead of being his own worst critic and taking responsibility. Questionable level of drive and self-starter motivation to become an elite player. Had to be talked into playing football. Doesn't have a deep and natural love for the game.

A system WR who doesn't consistently win and create his own separation. Needs help from the scheme and play design to make an impact. Projects to be a niche WR who might add a speed element to a team but would be unlikely to put up big stats.

Poor play strength to fight through jams and contact in the middle of the route. Gets rerouted too easily. Cannot create late separation.

Shaky hands, catches not clean. Struggled with drops earlier in his career. History of fumbles. Doesn't have soft hands or great hand-eye coordination.

Average release package, relies on athleticism over guile. Rounds off breaks. Average route runner.

Limited value as blocker. Gets rag dolled frequently. Loses too often at POA on screens and run plays. Unreliable blocking on outside.

Inconsistent punt returner. Made fair catch near his end-zone. Muffed a punt return. Limited experience as returner.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

Late round grade. (Anthony Schwartz, late 3rd round 2021, Cleveland Browns, Auburn).

Schwartz was a track star in college. He won medals as a sprinter at the under-20 World Championships. He ran 4.27 seconds in the 40 at his Pro Day.

In the NFL, Schwartz only had 12-186-1 for his entire career. At the start of his 2nd NFL season, he strained his knee in camp. He had a bunch of drops during the preseason and struggled with his confidence. After not playing much, he went on IR near the end of the season after suffering a concussion. The Browns waived him in 2023 with an injury designation after hamstring and concussion injuries.

Schwartz became a costly draft miss for the Browns, because Spencer Brown was pick 93, Quinn Meinerz was 98, Ernest Jones was 103 and the big one was Amon-Ra St. Brown, drafted at pick 112. Instead of going with the super-fast Schwartz, if the Browns had drafted the "slow" St. Brown, they would have landed a superstar instead of a bust who effectively was no better than just adding an UDFA.

I don't consider Evan Stewart to be a sleeper prospect who should be a 1st round pick but is underrated by draft boards. I do think there is potential value to be mined if he makes it deep into Day 3 or doesn't get drafted at all. If Stewart, Jojo Natson, Nsimba Webster, Mike Thomas and JJ Koski were all in the same draft class, which of those WRs would we prioritize? IMO, it would be Stewart. Especially if he won the punt returner job, Stewart would have a clear role on the team, stepping into Atwell's spot.

Overall, I've been underwhelmed by what I've seen from Stewart so far in 2026, but I still have him on the draft radar. Oregon's offensive woes should keep his draft stock down, so Stewart is worth consideration if the Rams want to go "bargain shopping" at WR in the draft.

 

[Memento]

@Twopointtry

Apologies for posting this in this thread, but do you think you could make a Jamal Roberts (Mizzou running back) thread? Kid looks absolutely legit, and he's making our offense hum, even without Hardy and with only him, Cayden Lee (who, if I'm really honest, also needs his thread; he looks like an excellent slot receiver, so if you could please make his thread as well, that would be awesome.), and occasionally Donovan Olugbode making an impact on the scoresheet as far as production goes.

Apologies for any bother; I'm just very excited about my Tigers, and Roberts has been arguably our MVP as far as the team goes.

 

[Twopointtry]

Apologies for posting this in this thread, but do you think you could make a Jamal Roberts (Mizzou running back) thread? Kid looks absolutely legit, and he's making our offense hum, even without Hardy and with only him, Cayden Lee (who, if I'm really honest, also needs his thread; he looks like an excellent slot receiver, so if you could please make his thread as well, that would be awesome.)

Okay, I'll try to look at him sometime. I literally know zero about Roberts. Lee definitely is rising up draft boards. I've obviously seen him catch passes, because I watched some games on Mizzou's QB, but I don't have any opinion about him either way. Do those guys have to enter the draft or do they have remaining eligibility to return to Mizzou next year? Seems to me that Mizzou has a pretty talented team, so they could be missing out on a special season if they gave up the chance to be on the 2027 team. NFL money is nice, but like Indiana last season, if you could be part of a National Championship, that's priceless. College players are like semi-pro athletes anyway with the NIL money, so the financial risk if you get injured isn't the same as it was in the old days. Unless you're going to be an early round pick and get a contract that is fully guaranteed, why not keep playing in college?

 

[Memento]

Okay, I'll try to look at him sometime. I literally know zero about Roberts. Lee definitely is rising up draft boards. I've obviously seen him catch passes, because I watched some games on Mizzou's QB, but I don't have any opinion about him either way. Do those guys have to enter the draft or do they have remaining eligibility to return to Mizzou next year? Seems to me that Mizzou has a pretty talented team, so they could be missing out on a special season if they gave up the chance to be on the 2027 team. NFL money is nice, but like Indiana last season, if you could be part of a National Championship, that's priceless. College players are like semi-pro athletes anyway with the NIL money, so the financial risk if you get injured isn't the same as it was in the old days. Unless you're going to be an early round pick and get a contract that is fully guaranteed, why not keep playing in college?

Roberts is a redshirt junior, so it would be in his best interest to enter the draft, especially if Hardy comes back and is fully healthy, and especially since his stock as a running back is likely never going to be higher than it is, and the potential for injuries. He may come back because he's a local kid (from St. Louis, Missouri), but if I were him, I'd go for the NFL.

Lee is a senior, so he'll have to enter.

Mizzou is a talented team, but they're too flawed to win it all, in my opinion. Simmons is good, but with only Lee, Roberts, and Olugbode (who has disappeared in SEC play) as his best - and only - skill position players, it'll be tough. He takes a lot of sacks as well, so it's not all good on the offensive line either (even though they're excellent run-blockers. Cayden Green - the senior left tackle - is likely a first-round pick, so I doubt we'd get him, but I feel he could be an outstanding guard/left tackle for some lucky team.). Defense is playing outstanding, but there's not a real star on there, Daeden Hopkins aside (and he was very quiet in the last victory).

Even Indiana had/has excellent players. I don't see a single first round pick in 2027 on this roster, Green aside, and we'll likely lose a lot of players as well.

Roberts, though, is someone I'd love for you to scout. He's been a very underrated player on Mizzou's roster as a backup, but right now? Right now, he's our MVP and the engine that makes this entire team run.

 

[Twopointtry]

Roberts, though, is someone I'd love for you to scout. He's been a very underrated player on Mizzou's roster as a backup, but right now? Right now, he's our MVP and the engine that makes this entire team run.

How is it that Mizzou always seems to have good RBs? Cody Schrader, Tyler Badie, there was another guy, I can't remember his name off the top of my head. I'll have to look it up. I don't think he did anything in the NFL, but I liked him in the draft. I don't remember if he was even drafted, he might have been an UDFA.

 

[Twopointtry]

I looked him up. Henry Josey. I liked that guy. 2014 UDFA.

 

[Memento]

How is it that Mizzou always seems to have good RBs? Cody Schrader, Tyler Badie, there was another guy, I can't remember his name off the top of my head. I'll have to look it up. I don't think he did anything in the NFL, but I liked him in the draft. I don't remember if he was even drafted, he might have been an UDFA.

I looked him up. Henry Josey. I liked that guy. 2014 UDFA.

Josey was a personal favorite of mine. Had a nasty injury against Texas when we were in the Big 12, took years to get healed from it, then dominated when we went into our second SEC season. Easy guy to root for. Schrader and Badie were also awesome.

Also, there was a kid named Russell Hansbrough right after Josey. Had a couple of stints in the NFL, but never really got off a practice squad. Larry Rountree III was drafted in the sixth round by the Chargers, and he was solid as well. Marcus Murphy was absolutely explosive as a returner but played running back/quasi-receiver for us. Even Damarea Crockett, who got benched with us, managed to get to Denver's practice squad and do well there.

Somehow, we really succeed at getting backs - and skill position players as a whole; there's lots of wideouts and tight ends we've sent to the NFL: Josey, Hansbrough, Rountree, Murphy, Crockett, Badie, Schrader, even guys like Tony Temple (who got a stint on the Cleveland Browns roster after a solid career and a dominant Cotton Bowl match against Arkansas - and with Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Peyton Hillis on the field, he was the best running back of all of them) and Damien Nash (who sadly passed away before he could show what he could do on a football field).

And now, especially, Roberts and Hardy. We just love sending skill position players to the NFL.