AFC Notes: George Pickens, Justin Tucker, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

The Bengals drafted Texas A&M DE Shemar Stewart with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Mike Sando of The Athletic cites one anonymous executive who called Stewart a “high-risk pick with bust potential.”

“He is the epitome of a high-risk pick with bust potential,” the executive said. “People are going to say Von Miller, but he doesn’t make many plays. Runs (fast), and there is no production.”

Stewart finished his college career with just 4.5 over three years. However, one executive thinks his sack figures didn’t reflect the rate of pressure he supplied. 

“It is not all sack production,” another exec said. “It is total pressures, pressure rate and then physically, it’s their three-cone, their 10-yard shuttle, broad jump, those things. The dude the Bengals took had very low sack numbers but was back there all the time.”

Another executive points out Cincinnati needed an edge rusher to play opposite of Trey Hendrickson. 

“They had to have someone opposite Hendrickson,” the executive said. “(Sam) Hubbard retired. That is just straight need, and they took the big 4-3 edge rusher on the board at the time.”

Ravens

The Ravens released K Justin Tucker on Monday, with HC John Harbaugh previously noting that any decisions that would be made “will be based on football,” and the team released a statement wishing Tucker well.

“As you know, Justin’s been in the building the last couple of weeks, kicking and everything,” Harbaugh said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “Got a chance to talk a little bit. I would just say, from the standpoint of the investigation and all that, we don’t know anything. We haven’t been given any information. As it should be, it’s all done the way it’s done. We don’t know anything along those lines, so we can’t make any decision based on that. Every decision we make has to be made on football.”

Steelers

Leading up to the draft, rumors surfaced that the Steelers could be looking to move WR George Pickens as he enters a contract year following the acquisition of WR D.K. Metcalf. Although Pickens wasn’t traded during draft weekend, Bleacher Report insider James Palmer still thinks his future in Pittsburgh is murky because of how extension talks have gone. 

“I didn’t see — I really wasn’t sold on a [George Pickens trade] happening during the draft. There was a lot of rumors about that, and I understand the rumors because his time in Pittsburgh, in a lot of people’s minds, is limited — mine included, for several reasons. You don’t pay DK Metcalf what you paid him and then pay the other receiver a high-caliber salary,” Palmer stated, via Bleacher Report. “It has not gone well behind the scenes, at all, between George Pickens and the Pittsburgh Steelers — and everybody involved.”