Bengals defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson played next to his once and future teammate for two years at Texas A&M, and on Friday he talked about why playing with No. 1 pick Shemar Stewart again has him so fired up.

"You get a high-flying, wheeling-dealing son of a gun in Shemar Stewart," Jackson said with delight. "I never saw him not ask how he could get better. You get a player who affects games.

"Once he understands he can run past people and run through people, he will have the league in lockdown."

Stewart, an explosive and versatile edge, is also hoping to disrupt Bengals' history after he chose the No. 97 jersey of Geno Atkins when the ability to wear his Aggies' No. 4 was not an option in Bengals tradition. When he walked past the locker room mannequin draped in what is now his 97, Stewart stopped to touch it and stare for a fleeting moment.

Atkins, barely 6-1, made it OK to be a short three technique. As long as they were stronger than new rope, microwave quick, and used the height to create impossible leverage. Stewart absorbed the franchise lesson that Atkins has the Bengals' most defensive Pro Bowls with eight and said at his Paycor Stadium debut Friday that he'd like to match that Pro Bowl number to match the jersey.

Jackson thinks it's going to benefit everyone involved that Stewart is hooked up with another Bengals legend. This one active. Another edge. NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson.

"Man, it's going to scary. Trey's the ultimate competitor and I feel like Trey can definitely push what I want to see out of Shemar," Jackson said. "Shemar's always been God-gifted and just talented. He just needs the extra push, the extra gear, and I feel like Trey can push that out of him. You put this kid with that caliber of player to look up to, and the sky's really the limit."

Stewart came in the way the A&M coaches said he would. Bright. Intense. Respectful. That was on display as he talked about how his mother, Latoya Smith, worked two nursing jobs to help him get through private school at Monsignor Pace Academy in Miami.

"Probably buy my mom a house," Stewart told the news conference of his initial NFL move. "Just take care of my mom. She worked hard, so I think it's time for me to take care of her."

She's one of his major influences, stilling the debate on where he would go play in college when she said she wanted him out of Miami so he could see the world. His father figure Brandon Marquez, one of his former coaches, accompanied him to Paycor. He also has a brother figure already on the team in Jackson. At least that's how Jackson sees it.

"He's a brother figure to me. Beyond football" Jackson said. "He's a freak of nature. I'm going to be tough on him. I'm sure excited to play beside him again."

Jackson, a third-round pick last year, arrived with second-rounder and fellow defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. on a Saturday, the day after they were drafted, and they went to dinner with director of player relations Eric Ball. Jackson signed up to be on the welcome committee this time on Saturday, but when the Bengals picked Stewart, Jackson wanted to change his reservation to Friday night and the annual steak-fest at "The Precinct," for the No. 1 pick.

"I have to go. You took my boy," Jackson said.

The table is set.