NCAA Scouting - Player Profile:
Jonathan Stewart, RB
by James Izzard
21/2/2008
 
The consensus amongst NFL scouts and the media is that Jonathan Stewart will be the second running back off the board in the forthcoming draft, and here at the Diner we'll take a look at how the Junior from Oregon projects and why he has NFL teams drooling at his talent.
 
Jonathan Stewart is one of the youngest products heading in to the draft - at the time of writing he is just 20 years old (turns 21 on March 21st). He resides in Fort Lewis, Washington and played his college ball for the Oregon Ducks. He chose to play for the PAC-10 team despite interest from powerhouses such as Southern California, Notre Dame and Ohio State stating.
 
During his three year career at Oregon he amassed 2891 yards and 31 touchdowns. What is even more impressive is that he was part of a triple headed rush attack which included Jeremiah Johnson and highly regarded scrambling quarterback Dennis Dixon.
 
Although Stewart was firmly on the NFL scouts' radar during 2006 it wasn't until 2007 that he confirmed his status as a first round prospect. In 2007 alone he ran for 1,722 yards and 13 overall touchdowns, was MVP of the Sun Bowl, and was a unanimous selection to the All-Pacific -10 Conference first team.
 
What we like about Stewart
 
Stewart is an all-round back – he has immense agility combined with speed, balance and strength. If you combine his physical attributes to the fact that Stewart is relatively fresh he should be able to carry the load for a team looking for that one spotlight guy. Stewart is rumoured to have been timed at 4.34 in the 40 yard dash which if proved at the combine is just exceptional for a man of his size. He also has a 38.5” vertical leap, the second highest in Oregon school history. NFL teams will be impressed by his hands, and locker room influence. He really is as much of an all-round prospect as one could wish for.
 
Question marks over Stewart
 
Oregon run a spread offense so Stewart is not used to playing in traditional Pro offensive systems, and like most rookie running backs he'll need to work on his pass blocking. Teams will be interested to see how he interviews to try and gauge if he has the intelligence to quickly learn how to read NFL defenses.
 
Highlight of his College Career
 
Stewart was the star of the show in Oregon's 56-21 bowl win over the University of South Florida, running for a career high 253 yards, setting a Sun Bowl record for rushing yards and earning himself the MVP award for the game. This was even more impressive as Dennis Dixon was sidelined through injury, so Stewart was often faced with 8 or 9 South Florida players in the box.
 
Other Snippets of Info

• The highest Stewart has appeared in a recognised mock draft thus far is 12th however this could very well rise as question marks are beginning to appear against the number #1 rated running back Darren McFadden.

• Despite his size Stewart was often used to return kicks during his Oregon career scoring two touchdowns in his freshman year.

• Whilst at high school the Seattle Gazette named him as the fifth greatest high school player of all time.

• NFL players you could compare him to would be Ronnie Brown or Jamal Lewis.

• Potential good fits – Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears or Dallas Cowboys.

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