Top rookie pass rushers based on pressure rate, min. 40 pass rush snaps (via @TruMediaSports)
-Gonna have to go watch some Elijah Ponder because wow
-Sucks Omarr Norman-Lott got injured, Chiefs could use his juice
-Danny Striggow and BJ Green👀👀 pic.twitter.com/F626bRQyuZ
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) December 9, 2025
Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Josaiah Stewart hasn’t flashed on the field in the same way Jared Verse and Braden Fiske did as rookies, but he’s quietly put together a solid debut season.
The 2025 third-round rookie out of Michigan has racked up two sacks and five quarterback hits in 313 defensive snaps this season, but his pressure rate ranks fourth-best among first-year defensive players this season, according to TruMedia (h/t JP Acosta).
Stewart’s 12.6% pressure (among defensive rookies with at least 40 pass rush snaps) ranks only behind the Atlanta Falcons’ James Pearce, the New England Patriots’ Elijah Ponder and the Kansas City Chief’s Omar Norman-Lott.
These are good numbers despite Stewart’s lack of sack production. There aren’t a lot of opportunities to go around on a defense that already touts premier pass rushers like Verse, Fiske, Byron Young and Kobie Turner. Combined, those four have 23.5 sacks and 2,377 total snaps.
Stewart was meant to be a Year 1 game-breaker, either. The Rams love to have a stable of edge rushers, and he’s providing solid contributions from the edge when he plays.
The rookie will improve over the final stretch of the season and as his NFL career continues.