David Stewart

David Stewart is a rangy, decisive linebacker who wins with quick run recognition, sustained pursuit and closing burst. He reads backfield action cleanly, gets downhill without wasting steps and takes direct paths into interior fits. When the ball stretches outside, he scrapes across the formation with coordinated lateral movement and consistently reaches the boundary action. His effort stays steady through extended chases, and he arrives under control to contribute at the finish.

Stewart’s experience from stacked, overhang and edge alignments gives him useful run-defense versatility. He moves comfortably from the box into space and shows the acceleration to reduce a runner’s available room. The next step is improving hand usage and separation against blockers, particularly when engaged on the edge, while creating more clean individual finishes at contact. Coverage ability was not exposed on this tape, but his run-game profile is clear: a fast-triggering pursuit linebacker who closes space and stays connected to the football.

David Stewart is a physical, downhill linebacker who shows a good feel for diagnosing plays and getting himself around the football. His strongest traits are his tackling, pursuit angles, and read-and-react ability. Stewart does a good job reading what is happening in front of him, triggering toward the football, and putting himself in position to finish plays.

As a tackler, Stewart is dependable and plays with physicality. The biggest area of development for Stewart is becoming more consistent with understanding his responsibility on every snap. There are times where he reads the action correctly but needs to recognize whether it is actually his play to make. Continuing to improve his understanding of run fits, gap responsibility, and overall defensive assignments will help him play faster while also preventing him from taking himself out of position.

The biggest area of development for Stewart is becoming more consistent with understanding his responsibility on every snap. There are times where he reads the action correctly but needs to recognize whether it is actually his play to make. Continuing to improve his understanding of run fits, gap responsibility, and overall defensive assignments will help him play faster while also preventing him from taking himself out of position. Pass coverage is another area where Stewart can take the next step. Improving his coverage awareness, drops, spacing, and comfort playing in open space will make him a more complete three-down linebacker.