Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart was a highly-touted recruit, but there’s still a sense that his 2025 NFL Draft scouting report is far from complete.
What does Stewart already have working in his favor, and can he rise into the Round 1 ranks next April?
Evan Stewart’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’0″
- Weight: 175 pounds
- Position: Wide Receiver
- School: Oregon
- Current Year: Junior
Stewart is gifted. That’s never been a secret. As a junior at Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas, he caught 46 passes for 913 yards and nine touchdowns. As a senior, he only needed to play three games — accruing 19 catches for 414 yards and three TDs — before he’d shown schools everything they needed to see.
Stewart opted out for the rest of his senior campaign, and originally, he committed to play football at Texas. Later in the process, however, he re-opened his recruitment and shifted his commitment to Texas A&M.
Though Stewart’s two-year span at Texas A&M was somewhat tumultuous, the former five-star recruit showed immense promise. As a true freshman, he racked up 53 catches for 649 yards and two scores. As a sophomore, he caught 38 passes for 514 yards and four TDs.
In the 2024 offseason, Stewart transferred to Oregon, where he’ll join up with Tez Johnson and attempt to fill the void left by Troy Franklin. Stewart’s been laser-timed as fast as 4.36 second in the 40-yard dash, and his speed and dynamic ability ring true. But how does the rest of his profile settle out?
Stewart’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Has a lean, wiry frame with good proportional length and reach.
- Sentient particle accelerator with hyper-active short-area energy, agility, and twitch.
- Slippery RAC threat who can swim through congestion with crisp change of direction.
- Uber-explosive athlete with the sudden speed to stack and create separation downfield.
- Has exceptional hip sink and bend on in-breaking routes, sustaining acceleration.
- Has the curvilinear acceleration to curve route breaks while keeping speed.
- Showcases the ability to press upfield with head fakes, then plant-and-drive efficiently.
- Boasts instant decelerative capacity on comebacks and hitches, demolishing coverage.
- Uses his zone awareness to carve past coverage defenders and sit in open spaces.
- Can off-set defenders at stems with rocker steps, then explode into the deep third.
- Can make high-difficulty adjustments past his frame and use his length to extend.
- Able to make smooth adjustments in-stride for passes thrown behind him.
- Flashes size-defying composure, toughness, and hand strength in tight situations.
- Has the quickness and hand-eye coordination to snare passes with diamond technique.
- Can vary his hand technique based on the situation and cradle lofted throws in-stride.
Weaknesses
- Is extremely lightweight for the WR position, which can impact resolve amidst contact.
- Sometimes idles too much on diamond releases, failing to threaten defenders upfield.
- Can improve at lowering his pad level and driving when pressing upfield into stems.
- Is occasionally uncontrolled coming out of breaks, which can impact catch positioning.
- Can improve angle precision and plant-and-drive footwork on multi-layered routes.
- Has room to refine his release arsenal and further expand his route tree.
- On occasion, drifts away from the ball and lets it come into his frame, risking drops.
- Sometimes experiences lapses in stability when attempting to gather passes before RAC.
- Doesn’t quite have elite hand strength, as stronger DBs can dislodge passes at contact.
- Has average physicality and contact balance, and wins more as a space player.
- Is not an overly imposing force as a blocker, nor does he play with consistent leverage.
- Doesn’t always play to his timed speed on the vertical plane.
- Missed several games in the 2023 season due to a leg injury.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Stewart grades out as a top-64 prospect who could ascend into the first round with a good year at Oregon. Stewart may be lighter than average, but he has the athleticism, separation instincts, and hands to be a star.
Injuries and inconsistent quarterback play have diluted Stewart’s production to this point, but the former five-star recruit is bristling with upside. And in two of the most important categories for WR play — separation and catch conversion — he passes with flying colors.
Athletically, Stewart is a supercharged mover whose explosiveness and speed are only surpassed by his electric lateral mobility and effervescent foot speed. Stewart can weaponize his quickness and burst as a separator, and it makes him a potent RAC threat as well.
Stewart is only 175 pounds, but that doesn’t stop him as a catch-point threat. More often than not, he’s able to compete in tight situations with his length and body control, and he has the hand-eye coordination and hand technique to compete in any situation.
Stewart’s high-energy athleticism can yield wasted motion at times in the separation phase, and he’s still fleshing out his release package. Additionally, Stewart’s quickness does come at the cost of lacking physicality, contact balance, and run-blocking utility.
Having said all this, Stewart has proven he can be a weapon both on the boundary and in the slot, and he can be schemed touches. As a dynamic movement-Z receiver with three-level proficiency, Stewart has impact starter potential.