Montgomery had been particularly impressed with his passion in Indy.

“At the combine, he was great. No issues,” Montgomery said.

He shakes his head about the concern about the stats. In three years in College Station, Stewart had 4.5 sacks.

“If he had eight sacks this year, he would have been a top-five pick,’ Montgomery said.

Montgomery has seen this movie before. Heck, he co-starred in it at one point during his nine-year run in Green Bay. In 2019, the Packers with the 12th pick took Rashan Gary, a 6-5, 277-pounder who had 10.5 sacks in three seasons at Michigan. In six seasons with the Packers, he has 39 sacks that include a nine-sack season and a 9.5-sack season under Montgomery.

“Same thing,” Montgomery said. “Didn’t have all the production. Get him in the NFL, teach him how to rush, teach him how to finish.

“Because (Stewart) doesn’t (have the sacks), he slides. I’m excited to work with the kid. He plays out of his mind. With his hair on fire … His violence, his physicality, his effort to the ball. He’s always around the quarterback. Now we just have to get him to finish on the quarterback.”

The PFF analytics back them up. His 39 pressures led Texas A&M last year. His time to first pressure in 2024 of 2.43 seconds led all FBS players. The team that has lost on the edge Sam Hubbard, who goes into retirement with the most tackles by an end since 2018, may get a lift from a guy who plays the run like a beast. His 88.2 PFF run-defense grade in 2024 is fifth among all edge defenders in the FBS.

As far as Montgomery and Golden are concerned, Stewart may not have SEC stats. But his game fits the AFC North.

“He can set the edge in this division, which is really important,” Golden says. “It’s going to be hard to get knocked off the ball by tackles or tight ends. Obviously, he’s a guy that makes plays on the second level and on the perimeter.”