Darian Stewart, 5'11" 216SS, South Carolina
Rankings: 7th-ranked strong safety by Pro Football Weekly and 123rd-ranked player overall. Had a mid-fourth-round grade. Rated as a better-than-average chance of making an NFL roster.
NFLDraftScout ranked him 7th at SS, 187th overall and projected him as a 6th-rounder.
Scout.com ranked him 11th at safety and projected him as a 4th-rounder.
Biography/honors: Three-year starter.
2009: 58 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 pass break-ups, 1 forced fumble in 13 starts at strong safety.
2008: 64 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 8 pass break-ups, 2 forced fumbles, 2 sacks in 13 starts at "spur".
2007: 68 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 7 pass break-ups, 2 INTs, 2 forced fumbles in 12 games at free safety, with 10 starts.
2006: 7 tackles as a reserve and special teams player in 12 games. No starts.
Major: retailing. From this interview, I'll assume that's with an emphasis on fashion merchandising. USC has a College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management.
Injuries:
2009: Battled stingers all season.
2008: Minor foot injury before season started; did not miss a game.
2007: Didn't start in one game because of a sprained knee.
Combine/Pro Day Stats:
4.55 40 (Combine, worse than average time)
4.18 short shuttle (Pro day)
6.89 3-cone drill (Pro day)
12 bench presses (Combine, near the bottom)
37" vertical leap (Combine, middle of the pack)
10'2" broad jump (Combine, middle of the pack)
Positives: Versatile, played multiple positions on defense and played special teams. Physical hitter, excellent tackler, excellent in pass coverage. Could be a standout special teams player. Good bulk and arm length allows him to re-route receivers effectively. Covers short passes very well and can stay with backs or slot receivers. Doesn't give up those swing passes to the fullback the Rams have always given up for 15 yards on 3rd-and-12. Closes on the ball fast. Good straight-line speed. Aggressive run supporter, but is disciplined in his assignments and takes good angles. Blew up a couple of Dexter McCluster crazy runs simply by being where he was supposed to be. Has surprisingly quick feet and good range in pursuit. Solid reactor who can jump a route. Competer who plays to the whistle. "Spur" back at South Carolina had to be strong enough to defend the run and fast enough to cover TEs and slot receivers.
Negatives: Doesn't intercept a lot of passes (which means he will fit in with the Rams secondary PERFECTLY), and his stats seemed to decline every year. Probably best-suited to play in the box: he lacks great agility and quickness, might be a liability in man coverage and doesn't have great ball skills. Doesn't always come down with catchable interceptions; isn't great at coming down with ball in traffic. Lacks ideal height or sideline-to-sideline burst. Only finished 12 bench presses at the Combine. Will sometimes shoulder-block ballcarriers instead of wrapping up. A tweener who isn't a possibility to convert to corner; he's even said the corner position is not for him.
Compares to: Al Afalava of the Bears.
Fun Facts: Stewart's a fashion hound who says his favorite stores are urban stores like... Dillard's. DILLARD'S? He calls himself a big-time shoe fanatic and a good soul food cook. He went to the same high school as Texans DT Amobi Okoye and actress Kim Dickens, which I have to mention because she was in Deadwood, which was awesome.
RamView: Darian Stewart's one of those guys you look up the Monday after the draft and wonder how the heck he wasn't picked. He's got a lot of qualities a lot of NFL teams could use. Hence the mid-round draft projections by many anaylsts. But he's doomed with the "in-the-box safety" tag, and the correspondingly dismal draft prospects that came with it. He comes to a Rams team where safety is a rare position of depth, and has been injured most of camp, a handicap a player auditioning as a physical safety cannot afford. Good value pickup by the Rams' front office, but unless Stewart can get fit quickly and beat out someone like David Roach on special teams, his chances are going to be tough.
Sources: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Pro Football Weekly 2010 Draft Guide, The State (Columbia, SC), Wikipedia, NFLDraftScout.com, University of South Carolina, IMG Academies, YouTube, NFL.com, ESPN.com
Photo from IMGAcademies.com
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