The New York Jets have a real opening to take a swing on one of the 2027 NFL Draft’s most intriguing edge rushers, and Dylan Stewart fits the profile of a gamble they may actually be equipped to make.
With Texas star Colin Simmons now pushing toward the no-doubt top-five conversation, Stewart has become the name drawing plenty of attention. The South Carolina pass rusher has seen his stock slip this season, though, and the reason is hard to ignore: he just returned from a suspension that followed a punch after the Gamecocks’ loss to Alabama. Even with that baggage, the current expectation is still that Stewart lands in the top half of the first round.
That’s where the Jets enter the picture. Their defensive line is not a dominant group right now, and Stewart could be the kind of talent that shifts it from solid to something more dangerous. The bigger question is whether his concerns would scare off New York the way they might scare off other teams.
On pure talent, Stewart is built like the kind of rusher teams spend years chasing. His sack total - 11 across his first two college seasons - barely captures the impact he can make.
The bend is outrageous, the first step pops, and he brings more power than you’d expect. In other words, he looks like a difference-maker the moment he steps onto an NFL field.
But this draft case is about more than traits. Stewart is going to have to convince teams he can be coached and fit into a professional environment, and that’s where the concerns start to matter.
Sometimes those labels get overblown. Sometimes they don’t.
And with Stewart, teams will have to decide which version they believe.
For clubs picking once in the first round, especially if there’s uncertainty around the coaching staff, that kind of profile can be hard to stomach. The Jets are in a different lane. They have three first-round picks in this class because of the Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades, which gives them more room to absorb risk than most teams picking near the top.
Darren Mougey also committed to surrounding the roster with experienced veterans to help guide the younger players, and several of those veterans are signed through 2027. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but it does give the Jets more reason to trust the environment they’re building around a player like Stewart.
A pass rusher in the early rounds still feels like a near-certainty for New York, and Stewart could land right in their sweet spot if he earns strong marks on his football character. If everything comes together, he and David Bailey could give the Jets a nasty one-two punch off the edge.
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