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South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart is one of the most talented pass rushers in college football, but his back injury, an indefinite suspension, and a growing list of concerns have made his 2027 NFL Draft outlook genuinely hard to call.
Sep 26, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell (12) makes a sidearm throw around South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart (6) at Saban Field at Bryant Denny Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News
South Carolina pass rusher Dylan Stewart finds himself in an incredibly complicated situation after being suspended indefinitely by head coach Shane Beamer following multiple concerning incidents during the Gamecocks’ brutal loss to Alabama.
Stewart, who was returning from a back injury, was caught on camera being screamed at by Beamer for walking off the field instead of jogging, and he punched an Alabama player during the game. The 2027 NFL Draft prospect’s stock is now shrouded in uncertainty.
Stewart’s performance against Alabama raised additional concerns. He didn’t play well, and based on what we saw, the back injury still appears to be bothering him. He hasn’t looked like the same supremely talented player who burst onto the scene.
The back problem has been holding him back for some time, and that showed in a game where South Carolina got dominated 49 to 18.
What happens next for Dylan Stewart?
There are multiple possible outcomes here, and none of them are simple.
The first possibility is that Stewart enters the transfer portal and goes back to school for another year. The NFL hyperfixates on situations like this, so why would a team take a swing on a player who is going to be framed as having an attitude problem?
If Stewart did enter the portal, he would be one of the most highly sought-after transfer portal players ever. Every program in the country needs a 6-5, 245-pound, bendy, explosive athlete coming off the edge.
The second possibility is that Stewart simply declares for the draft in the next couple of weeks and shuts down his season. There’s a legitimate argument that there’s nothing to be gained from fighting through a messed-up back for a team where the situation has deteriorated this badly. Beamer has wasted Stewart’s talent by preventing him from being a key contributor in big games.
The reckless speculation? Stewart may never play another snap of college football again. That doesn’t mean he won’t eventually declare for the 2027 NFL Draft, but the idea that he and South Carolina can reconcile this situation feels like a long shot, but you never know.
The Alabama incident might not be the real concern
The Alabama meltdown, while ugly, might not be the thing that ultimately tanks Stewart’s draft stock.
If this were a legal situation or a consistent behavioral pattern tied to off-field incidents, teams would have a clearer picture to evaluate. This was one game where a player did something really stupid in a bad sequence of events. If Stewart gets the right preparation from his agent and answers questions correctly during the pre-draft process, teams should be able to move past the Alabama tirade on its own.
The comparison to former Georgia DT Jalen Carter is worth noting. Carter had real concerns about his focus heading into the draft, and he was simply too talented for teams to pass on.
The bigger problem is the longer timeline. It started with a questionable celebration as a true freshman. It continued with availability issues. It culminated with a player disregarding his head coach on the sideline because he’s on an awful team that isn’t performing well. That type of behavior in an NFL locker room would tank a team’s culture.
The back injury is the real red flag
The biggest question mark with Stewart remains his back. Back injuries are one of the most worrying things when projecting a player’s long-term future because they tend to resurface.
There’s hardly ever a situation where a back injury gets fixed and never becomes an issue again. Depending on the severity, that concern alone could cause Stewart to fall in the 2027 NFL Draft.
The other complicating factor is that the main source of character information for NFL teams will be the South Carolina coaching staff. They are not going to provide an honest, unbiased opinion after the way Stewart acted despite receiving a significant payday and being one of the team’s key leaders. Finding someone willing to say something positive about Stewart’s focus and work ethic is going to be extremely difficult.
Stewart’s range of outcomes tells the whole story. He could go as high as the top five picks or fall completely out of the first round, and either one would make sense given the circumstances. The talent is undeniable.
The concerns are very real. If Stewart gets a clean bill of health on the back and handles the pre-draft process the right way, a team with an established culture in the middle to back end of the first round will likely say they can bring him in and help him get right. If the back remains a lingering issue, this whole situation gets a lot more precarious.
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