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Senior Bowl practice: Michigan EDGE Josaiah Stewart is 'explosive,' RB Donovan Edwards shows off pass-catching ability

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•about 23 hours•

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Donovan Edwards, Michigan
Donovan Edwards, Michigan - © Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Michigan Wolverines football has three players on the Reese’s Senior Bowl National Team — EDGE Josaiah Stewart, running back Donovan Edwards and long snapper William Wagner. The group went through their second of three practices for the week Wednesday, ahead of Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. ET kickoff on NFL Network.

Stewart — a 6-foot and 6/8 inch, 248-pound edge rusher — has generated buzz this week. The No. 46 overall prospect on NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah‘s big board, Stewart is highly coveted.

Writers from several teams have listed Stewart as a prospect the team they cover should look at and potentially draft.

Stewart was listed by Chicago Bears writer Lorin Cox as one of four players who have impressed this week.

“Another undersized prospect with great speed, Stewart was explosive off the edge in one-on-one drills, and multiple offensive tackles had trouble staying in front of him,” Cox wrote. “He’s not just a speed guy, though. He has strong hands that can fight through the grip of blockers trying to slow him down.

“Measuring in at just under six-foot-one, 248 pounds, he doesn’t jump out at you as the most imposing defensive lineman. But if he can keep performing like this at practice, teams like the Bears won’t have any questions about his size.”

BoltBeat.com, for instance, believes Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, Stewart’s former head man at Michigan in 2023, may take him.

“There is no better coach in the league to develop Stewart than his college coach,” Jason Reed wrote. “Harbaugh and the Chargers coaching staff have proven in just one season they can and will get the most out of players and Stewart would be no exception.

“Stewart is a bit green in his technique as he was able to win with speed and strength at the college level. That speed and strength will take Stewart a long way as a rookie. If he can sharpen his skillset he will be a truly dynamic every-down outside rusher.”

Another Chargers site, Bolts From The Blue, wrote that Stewart is among the Senior Bowl edge rushers that should interest Los Angeles.

“He’s a shorter edge player but that doesn’t seem to matter when you look at the power he packs in his punches,” Michael Peterson wrote. “He explodes off the snap and will catch an offensive lineman of guard if they don’t expect his ability to turn speed into power at a moment’s notice.

“If you want a really fun game to watch of Stewart’s, go check out the game against USC. He had a field day against the Trojan offensive tackles.”

On Wednesday, the second day of practices, Stewart once again shined in one-on-one drills, though he didn’t generate as much conversation from the ESPNU and NFL Network broadcast crews as he did the day before (likely partly because they discussed him at length Tuesday on NFL Network).

An issue on Wednesday in one-on-one defensive line vs. offensive line drills was the offensive linemen starting their pass sets early, putting edge rushers like Stewart at a disadvantage that they had to fight through. After one Stewart rep, the NFL Network broadcast lamented how tough it is for the defender.

“Josaiah Stewart is like, ‘Come on, man,'” analyst Daniel Jeremiah said.

“Enough of this!” analyst Charles Davis chimed in.

“It’s a good rep — you don’t need to do that, but [former NC State offensive tackle Anthony] Belton did it. To me, if you’re an undersized speed rusher, and they’re going to get a full count head start, you have no time to win on the corner and get around the edge.”

Michigan RB Donovan Edwards impresses as pass-catcher

Edwards impressed as a receiver during one-on-one drills both days so far.

“Michigan RB Donovan Edwards been crushing LBs in this drill for two days,” Miami Dolphins columnist Chris Perkins posted.

Edwards is known for not only his running and catching ability, but also his passing skills on trick plays. For his Michigan career, he finished 4-for-4 passing for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. In a rep of routes on air, the National Team let Edwards air one out.

Michigan LS William Wagner takes reps

The ESPNU broadcast showed some snaps by Wagner.

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