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The Los Angeles Rams didn't see a ton of production from their 2025 rookie class. This isn't an indictment of the group, though — they just weren't needed as much as other teams' rookies.
The Rams still saw solid contributions from several first-year players, like second-round tight end Terrance Ferguson, third-rounder outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart and seventh-round receiver Konata Mumpfield.
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While Ferguson and Mumpfield scored four combined touchdowns for L.A., Pro Football Focus' Ben Cooper named Stewart as the Rams' most impactful rookie this season based on his PFF grade, production and workload on the field.
Hitting on defensive line draft picks has become a specialty of general manager Les Snead, from Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers to Kobie Turner and Jared Verse, among many others.
Stewart is aiming to join that list. He ranked behind only the Giants’ Abdul Carter in PFF pass-rush grade (74.0) among rookie edge defenders, and his 15.3% pass-rush win rate even bested that of the No. 3 overall pick.
Stewart finished with three sacks, six quarterback hits and 22 combined tackles while playing in all 17 games this year. He only played in 374 (33%) defensive snaps behind a plethora of edge rushers like Verse and Young.
So while Stewart didn't break records, his performance relative to his opportunity was on pace with Carter. Stewart's sack totals tied for ninth among rookies, but he only finished 2.5 behind the second-place Jalen Walker, who played in 492 snaps.
Stewart won't be a full-time player on the Rams' defense unless something happens to Verse or Young. But he doesn't need to be a game-breaker, so long as he does enough when he is on the field to disrupt player.
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While Stewart looked like a luxury pick in the third round, he's proven to be worth the selection after just one season.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Josaiah Stewart named Rams most impactful rookie in 2025
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