Wink Martindale shares why former Michigan DE Josaiah Stewart won't be drafted as high as Mason Graham 

While the Michigan Wolverines did not have a great season, failing to qualify for the college football playoff after winning the National Championship, they still had some great players.

Defensive lineman Mason Graham is projected to be a top five or 10 pick, and several other Wolverines, including CB Will Johnson, are projected to go in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Another player projected to be picked is defensive end Josaiah Stewart. According to Pro Football Focus, he is the No. 69-ranked player in the draft. On an episode of the podcast "Michigan Football in the Trenches with Jon Jansen" this Wednesday, Don "Wink" Martindale appeared as a guest.

Martindale is the defensive coordinator for the Michigan Wolverines. On the show, he spoke about why Josaiah Stewart will not be drafted as high as Mason Graham (starts at 9:30).

"Well I think that, I definitely know it's gonna translate of his power. That's what people don't realize is the power the kid plays with. But there is reasons why he won't go as high as the first two we were talking about and it's his size. Size and speed, you can't coach it. Now when they get into whatever rounds he gets drafted in, that's what'll jump out for him."

"Look at this guy, he's productive, he's violent, and he knows how to get to the QB. The biggest thing with him is he knows how to finish when he gets there. I tell scouts that he doesn't have quite the arm length of Elvis Dumervil, but that's who he reminds me of with the way he finishes the QB."

Wink Martindale talks about the challenges Michigan DE Josaiah Stewart will experience in the NFL

While Martindale praised Stewart a lot, he acknowledges the size issues he could have in the NFL (Stewart is 6' 1" compared to Graham who is 6' 3"). He talked about the challenges he could experience at the NFL level because of his size.

"It's going to be challenging for him because the tackles he goes against, they do have the arm length. So, he's gonna have to work through that and still rely on his power."

According to Martindale and other scouts, if Stewart is going to succeed in the NFL like he did at Michigan, he is going to need to use his strength and speed. He will not be able to use size as a crutch like Mason Graham might be able to do.