Shemar Stewart sees the NFL draft as an opportunity to achieve his goals.
INDIANAPOLIS — Shemar Stewart is not particularly gregarious. He gives the sense of being just as happy to spend his time alone, and despite playing a position that has trended showy in recent years, he keeps his flash to a minimum. When asked a question, he answers directly, no time for frivolous exposition. Such as when he was asked ahead of the combine if he planed on doing all of the on field workouts.
“Of course,” he scoffed, before nodding his head for the next question, no other explanation needed.
The attention Stewart drew at the Senior Bowl, which doubled at the combine, was not there because he demanded it. He merely draws it, with a confidence that stands out even in a room of the most confident in the sport. A self-assuredness, born of making it farther than life seemed destined to allow.
“As long as you work, you can get whatever you want out of this game,” Stewart shared of his motto. “Just don’t shortcut the game.”
Stewart is a South Florida native who grew up in Miramar, a Miami-bedroom community. The area is a hotbed for football superstars; the sun, the sand, and the endless summer turn out some of the biggest names in the football world.
“People see my weight and size and see like, oh, I’m probably not fast, but growing up in South Florida gets the fastest competition you can find,” said Stewart.
Even with natural talent bubbling out of the numerous Florida springs, it is also an area that showcases the stark differences in socioeconomic classes. Shemar Stewart lived it.
“I came from nothing,” Stewart shared in a tone that in no way asked for pity, just stated a fact of the matter. “I’ve never been the person to not be humble. I’ve been humbled a lot of times, so I remain humble no matter where I get in life.”
When Stewart was 8 years old, he joined Miramar’s Optimist League, a pee-wee team. Coaches placed him at tackle. There was only one problem. Stewart had no idea what to do. And not in the sense of being 8 years old and not understanding the nuances of a B-gap. He had never actually seen the game of football played out before.
“I didn’t have cable,” Stewart recalled, which means he just did “whatever coach told me to do.”
