Jonathan Stewart thought it over and decided he’s ready for the next step.
The junior running back announced his decision Friday to bypass his senior season at Oregon and enter the NFL Draft.
He sat down for a press conference inside the Casanova Center, sporting a Yankees cap and appearing relaxed and at ease with his choice. The soft-spoken Stewart shed little light on the specifics of why he is going pro, saying he relied on his faith when making his decision.
“It’s a crapshoot,” Stewart said of the NFL Draft. “Nothing is set in stone and when I base my decision off of things that are pretty much predictions you have to lean on something like your faith to make a decision and that’s where I went with this.”
His decision came to him Thursday afternoon as he relaxed at his Eugene home and watched television. Stewart met with Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti and running backs coach Gary Campbell Thursday evening, but by then, his decision had already been made.
And as Bellotti put it, there was little to argue with.
“He’s as strong and as fast and as explosive as anybody at that level,” he said. “He can get better at protecting himself and seeing things.”
Stewart could have returned, improved his draft stock and been a Heisman candidate. He could have waited out the surplus of running backs in this draft and been a potential top-10 pick.
Or Stewart could have considered all the season-ending injuries suffered by teammates and figured, why take that chance?
Either way, Stewart’s thought process has evolved since the season ended from an individual Bellotti felt might return to a player who decided to go to the next level. Bellotti had conversations during the season with people close to the Lacey, Wash., native and thought the odds were 60-40 he would stay.
Stewart’s mind changed in the weeks following the Sun Bowl. There had been discussion of a potential Heisman campaign if he returned, but Stewart, not one for individual attention, shied away.
“The Heisman is a great thing, but for me to make a decision to come back for that – it’s not something I would really do,” Stewart said. “I’m not for self glory or anything like that.”
Bellotti talked to his NFL contacts and says he sees Stewart in the 15 to 25 range in the first round. Stewart’s draft evaluation also considers him a likely first-round pick.
“In terms of running and strength and character he will surpass anybody’s expectations so I would expect, if anything, he could move up,” Bellotti said.
Stewart has no preference on where he lands.
“I’d love to play for the (Seattle) Seahawks,” he said. “It’s where I’ve been my whole life, but when it comes down to that, wherever God wants me to go that’s where I’ll go.”
Stewart received advice from former teammates and current NFL players Dante Rosario and Jordan Kent.
Stewart left a lasting impression on Oregon fans with his final performance in a Duck uniform in the Sun Bowl. In Oregon’s 56-21 win over South Florida, Stewart set a Sun Bowl record with a career-high 253 yards. Stewart had two touchdowns on that afternoon – one coming via a 71-yard run.
He thought back to that game, when he never considered that it might be his last game in Oregon green and yellow. Stewart “was really enjoying the moment” and spent time visiting with other seniors on the sideline.
Stewart gained 1,722 yards this season, a Ducks single-season record, and led Oregon with 13 touchdowns. He helped shake injury questions that had followed the running back in his first two seasons by appearing in all 13 games and playing through a turf toe injury.
He enjoyed one of his best games close to home when he ran for a then career-high 251 yards at Washington in the absence of running mate Jeremiah Johnson, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee the week before. Stewart also had two touchdowns and caught three passes for 20 yards.
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