Devy Digest: Evan Stewart

The third-year former 5 Star Recruit has a new home. Will he finally meet expectations and compete for WR1 in the 2025 class?

Stats

Who is Evan Stewart?

Stewart was a 5* in the composites and a consensus top 35 player and top 5 Wide Receiver in the class of 2022. Stewart attended Liberty High in Texas. Stewart was a dual sport athlete and competed in Track & Field, where his events were the long jump and triple jump, and he anchored the 4x400 relay and the 4x200 relay with a verified 10.58 seconds in the 100m. Stewart held 32 offers and would sign his letter of intent with the University of Texas A&M. Stewart had an immediate impact as a true freshman and would start eight games and play in 10 games overall. Stewart earned 99 targets as a true freshman, but due to erratic play at the quarterback position, he would only catch 53% of those targets, but he flashed his potential. This past season, quarterback Conner Weigman only played in three full games, and Stewart would see 30 targets, including 17 targets against Miami (FL) in week 2. Stewart would see 22 receptions, 307 yards, and three touchdowns. For the rest of the season, with a bevy of other quarterbacks, Stewart would only see 16 receptions, 207 yards, and one touchdown. It was a combination of inconsistent quarterback play and questionable play calling. By the end of the season, it was widely expected that Stewart would enter the portal, and he transferred to Eugene to be the Wide Receiver for Oregon and be paired up with quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The Oregon system, which Offensive Coordinator Will Stein runs, is predicated on spacing and timing, where the ball is released on time, and the playmakers can create after the catch. The potential pairing could lead to a dynamic Junior season for Stewart and propel him as an early selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Strengths

Stewart is part of the modern-day wide receiver. Gone are the days when receivers must be 185 lbs plus to be effective at the next level. Modern-day offenses that are predicated on spacing and creativity are the norm nowadays. Stewart is great off the line and brings a unique package to get off the line quickly. Stewart has excellent body control and body awareness. He can contort his body in midair, and knowing where he is on the field at all times, he can come down with the ball and get his feet inbound. That body control is something that will play at the next level, and Stewart has a great understanding of defenses and how to create separation from his main defender. Stewart will use tempo and take advantage of his track speed and his hip fluidity to have his corner on skates and allow him to turn his defender in the wrong direction to get open for his quarterback. Stewart has grown as a route runner and become more polished with two years in college. The understanding of tempo and speed allows him to stack his defender and cause chaos in the secondary, allowing Stewart to be a force in the intermediate to deep routes. Stewart's spatial awareness makes him such a hard cover, and he tracks the ball well and has natural hands in the receiving game. Targets are earned, and as a true freshman, Stewart earned 99 targets and, as a sophomore with Conner Weigman, earned 30 targets in the three completed games the two played together. Now paired with Dillon Gabriel, a quick passer who understands his hot read and will get the ball out fast, Stewart can operate in space and create after the catch. The creativity of Will Stein's offense should accentuate what Stewart brings in the receiving game, and Stewart is in line for a large workload. It will be exciting to see how Stewart operates in a system predicated on spacing and timing. Gabriel has to get the ball out on time, and Stewart will remind people why he was such a highly coveted recruit.

Improvements/Concerns

There were rumblings all last season that Stewart was unhappy, and we saw that on the field, he wasn’t targeted enough, and there were times when it looked as if he checked out on some routes. There were games where Stewart would beat his defender off the line and be wide open, only for the quarterback not to look his way. There were rumblings about the NIL deals and how players weren’t seeing the money that was promised to him. Additionally, Jimbo Fisher was fired, and everything unraveled in College Station; the reports came out about players not getting their NIL deals. Stewart expressed frustration about the NIL and said he hadn’t seen the promised money. The coach that recruited him was gone. There were a lot of off-field issues that brought some concern about whether Stewart had already been checked out by the latter quarter of the season and if he was looking for the highest suitor for his services. Whatever the case, we are now behind that, and Stewart can focus on putting one final year together before he heads to the NFL. The listed height for Stewart is 6’0 and 175lbs; it would not be shocking if he came in at 5’10 ½ and 168lbs. While it isn’t as big of a concern as it was just a few years ago, the lighter frame is something to take note of. We’ve seen smaller guys translate well at the next level, but we still want to see a bigger frame.

Beyond the Numbers

Stewart displayed more versatility this past season as he lined up in the slot 24.1% of the time, up from 11% as a true Freshman. That should set him up well at Oregon, as they can move Stewart around as a chess piece and have him in the slot on key plays where he won’t be pressed off the line and can use his quickness to gain separation over the slot corner. We also saw a rise in aDOT this past season from 11.5 to 14.4, and his yards per route ran improved to 2.14. Stewart has not done much after the catch in his two years at Texas A&M, with an average of 2.7 yards, but I attribute that to quarterback play and scheme more than anything. I expect his aDOT to lower this upcoming season at Oregon while his yards per route run and yards after the catch significantly jump. Stewart has been credited with 13 drops in his two seasons, and while watching his tape, I don’t attribute that to him; it goes to the off-target throws where Stewart is reaching well outside his frame to try and haul that in. I expect that number to go down this upcoming season with Dillon Gabriel as his distributor. We saw how Oregon used Troy Franklin and Tez Johnson this past season. We should see similar versatility with Stewart in this offense, and I would expect more big plays with Gabriel and Stewart than we saw with Nix and Franklin.

2024 NCAA Outlook

Oregon jumps to the Big Ten this year and should be a force as they are loaded for the upcoming season and should make the 12-team College Football Playoffs. Stewart should benefit from a more modern-day offense. Stewart feasted in a handcuffed Jimbo Fisher offense; now that Stewart is paired with a brilliant mind in Will Stein, I can see him coming up with unique ways to get Stewart the ball early and often, and an 80+ catch season is well within the range of outcomes.

2024 NCAA Schedule

Oregon starts the 2024 season with regional games. Idaho, Boise State, and Oregon State, and then a bye week before conference play with games against UCLA, Michigan State, and an important game on October 12 against Ohio State. Oregon gets a couple of breaks with Purdue and Illinois before a matchup with the defending National Champions, Michigan Wolverines, and then finishes the season with Maryland, Wisconsin, and Washington. Oregon has ten wins easily with that schedule and we know Oregon will score fast and score often. Stewart should be in line for a perfect season as the leading receiver in the room, and in a couple of the potential close games, Stewart will be leaned on to be the playmaker in the receiving room.

NFL Outlook