Player
Grover Stewart
DL · Colts
Grover Stewart: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
9 seasons, all Colts: 171 career tackles, 13.5 sacks — the most loyal nose tackle in the league.
TrendGrover Stewart by season
| Season | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 9 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 |
| 2019 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| 2020 | 34 | 5 | 0.5 | 5 |
| 2021 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| 2022 | 33 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| 2023 | 16 | 8 | 0.5 | 8 |
| 2024 | 22 | 6 | 3.5 | 6 |
| 2025 | 21 | 7 | 0.5 | 7 |
Drafted in the 4th round of 2017 out of Albany State (a Division II program) — about as low-profile as nose tackle origin stories get. Indianapolis got nine years of starting-quality NT play in return.
The 2020 and 2022 seasons (34 and 33 tackles) are the volume peaks. The 2024 line (22 tackles, 3.5 sacks) is his most disruptive pass-rush year. The arc is the consistency: 6 straight seasons of 5+ TFL is exceptional for an interior anchor.
TFL per season
| Season | TFL |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 5 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 7 |
45 career TFLs from the nose tackle spot — elite run-stopping output.
RareAt 6-foot-4, 315 lbs, Stewart is the prototype 1-tech nose. The job description: occupy two blockers, anchor the A-gap, let the linebackers eat. The job is not to generate negative plays — which is what makes his 45 career TFLs unusual.
Most true NTs finish their career under 30 TFLs. Stewart cleared that mark by his 7th season. The 2023 (8 TFL) and 2025 (7 TFL) seasons are the kind of run-stopping volume usually reserved for 3-techs who are paid to penetrate.
Almost all his sacks bunch in two seasons: 2019 (3), 2022 (4), 2024 (3.5). The rest are 1 or fewer.
SplitSacks distribution
| Season | Sacks |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 3.0 |
| 2022 | 4.0 |
| 2024 | 3.5 |
| 2025 | 0.5 |
| All others (5 seasons) | 2.5 combined |
Stewart's sack production isn't year-over-year stable — it's lumpy. Three out of his nine seasons account for 10.5 of his 13.5 career sacks. That tracks with how a nose tackle gets to the QB: when the scheme around him generates pressure, he gets cleanup looks. When teams double him or commit to him in the run game, the sack column dries up.
The 2024 season (3.5 sacks, 6 QB hits) shows he can still be that player — and the Colts paid him through 2025 on that call.
9 years, 1 team — among the longest single-franchise NT tenures of his draft era.
MilestoneFree agency is brutal to nose tackles — they don't fit every scheme, every team has multiple guys who can do the job, and the position pays less than DTs who rush the passer. Staying with one team for 9 years at NT is rare.
The Colts have rebuilt around him: 3 head coaches, multiple DCs, multiple QB regimes, and Stewart is still the guy who lines up over center on first and second down.
Drafted from D-II — outproduced most Power-5 NT picks from his class.
ComparisonThe 2017 draft class produced plenty of well-known interior DLs (Jonathan Allen, Malik McDowell, Caleb Brantley). Most of them are either retired, journeymen, or never reached 170 career tackles and 13.5 career sacks.
Stewart — drafted 111th overall from Albany State — has produced longer and more consistently than nearly every Power-5 DT taken ahead of him. The D-II tape was right; the scouts who chased it got 9 years of starting nose tackle.
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