The 49ers don’t need to make any decisions on Dylan Stewart right now, but he’s the kind of name worth filing away for next offseason.
South Carolina’s edge rusher has already built a résumé that demands attention. The six-foot-five, 245-pound junior has posted 11 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss across two productive seasons with the Gamecocks, and the scouting buzz around him is loud for a reason. He’s being talked about as arguably the top defender in the draft and a likely first-round pick next April.
What makes Stewart stand out is how quickly he can wreck a snap. He’s described as the most explosive edge rusher in college football, with a lightning-quick first step and the kind of lateral burst that lets him slip past blockers before they can really settle in.
He can threaten off the edge with speed, drive through a blocker with power, and mix in a full set of pass-rush moves. If an offensive lineman gets hands on him, Stewart’s violent hands help him break free and keep moving toward the quarterback.
There’s more to the profile than just rushing the passer, too. He isn’t a finished product against the run, but the tools are obvious.
Stewart brings staggering lower-body strength, stays in the right spots, and uses his football IQ to hold the edge. The inconsistency shows up when his leverage gets sloppy and he gets washed out of plays, but that’s the sort of flaw coaches can work with.
Health is the big variable. Stewart played 11 games last year, but a major back injury in 2025 limited him.
After the season, Shane Beamer said Stewart was playing with “basically a broken back”. That injury showed up in his run defense, where his strength and steadiness weren’t the same.
If he comes back fully healthy and proves he’s back to 100%, that will go a long way toward locking in his first-round status.
For San Francisco, the appeal is obvious. The 49ers already have talent on the edge with Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, but availability has been an issue.
Adding another dynamic pass rusher would make sense, and Stewart has the upside to become a long-term answer for that front. It’s early, but he’s exactly the kind of player who could fit what Kyle Shanahan’s team wants to build.
In Other News...
49ers Preseason Opener Just Raised The Stakes For Roster Hopefuls
The 49ers first preseason game did more than shake off the rust, it started to separate the hopefuls from the long shots. Some players helped their cases with the kind of early work coaches notice, while the teams roster math got a little tighter with the first wave of cuts already beginning to trim the camp roster. Special teams roles are also starting to come into focus, with Watkins and Deebo Samuel looking like they could handle return duties as the club keeps sorting out where the most reliable depth fits.
Kurtis Rourke was one of the more interesting names to emerge from the opener, showing enough to stand out before his injury complicated the picture. His performance suggests there is something to work with, but the setback could push him toward a practice squad path rather than an immediate roster spot. On the other side of the ledger, Nate Hobbs has barely been able to practice, and his absence has left the 49ers weighing just how they want to manage his availability if he is not ready when the season begins. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Depth Battles Already Look A Lot More Concerning
The 49ers used their preseason opener in Tennessee exactly the way a team in August is supposed to, keeping most of the starters on the sideline and giving rookies and backups a long look in live action. The result was a 19-13 loss, but the more important part for San Francisco was how the roster depth held up when the games started to count for evaluation.
A handful of players did not help their cases much. Robert Jones, Connor Colby, Patrick Taylor Jr., Romello Height, Drake Nugent and Doug Kramer Jr. all drew attention for uneven showings, which is not the kind of first impression a team wants when jobs are being sorted out. For a roster with expectations as high as San Franciscos, these early depth battles were already going to matter, and now they look a little more unsettled than the 49ers probably hoped. [Read more 🡒]