Cashius
Howell.
Cashius
Howell.
Texas A&M· 6'2"· 253 lb· 4.59s 40
"Twitchy, unanimous All-American edge with a 27-sack college resume and a signature three-plays-in-a-row sack burst — the whole eval swings on sub-31" arms."Pre-draft read
Operates as a sub-package speed rusher, winning with a plus first step, tight ankle bend, and a pass-rush plan that combines a swipe/chop with a speed-to-power ramp. He wins the corner with real ankle flexion and closes on the quarterback with short-area burst. When length appears in his face, he transitions to an inside counter, using a spin, cross-chop, or ghost move, rather than stalling.
He establishes a stubborn edge in the run game with active hands and a low pad level, though he can be walled off by longer tackles who achieve lockout. His optimal deployment is as a wide-9 or B-gap rusher on clear passing downs, where his speed and hand quickness are more impactful than his length.
The Cincinnati Bengals run an attacking 4-3 defense, using wide-9 attacking fronts and a deep rotation of pass rushers to generate pressure.
Year 1 could involve a sub-package pass rushing role on obvious passing downs with the ceiling to become an elite situational pass rusher.
He would struggle in a 3-4 two-gap scheme where his lack of length and ideal weight would be exploited against the run.
Howell's burst and pass-rush repertoire make him an ideal fit for a wide-9 attacking front where his athletic traits can be maximized as a primary pass rusher, masking his length concern.
Cashius Howell College Football Highlights — Texas A&M Edge
NFL Draft Film cutup of Howell's A&M tape — first-step wins, corner reps, and the counter package that stacked 11.5 senior-year sacks.
Cashius Howell — 2026 NFL Draft Combine Interview
Chat Sports interview from Indianapolis Combine week — Howell on his rush plan, the Utah State three-sack game and the arm-length conversation.
Will Cashius Howell's Short Arms Push Him Out of the First Round?
Short-form breakdown of the 30 1/4" arm-length flag that split evaluators — the exact debate that dropped him from Round 1 conversation to Cincinnati at 41.
Cashius Howell projected as a rush-focused complement, primarily valuable for his refined hand technique and elite first-step burst. Teams envisioned him as a sub-package specialist and a rotational pass-rusher, particularly effective in wide-9 alignments or on interior stunts on obvious passing downs. His 4.59 forty time solidified his status as an explosive threat, despite concerns about his frame.
He began his career at Bowling Green, leading the MAC in sacks as a redshirt sophomore (9.5 sacks). Howell then transferred to Texas A&M, culminating in a unanimous All-American senior season in 2025 where he recorded 11.5 sacks and 14 TFL. A notable performance included three consecutive sacks against Utah State's Bryson Barnes, earning him SEC DL Player of the Week honors and elevating his draft stock.
Evaluation concerns centered on his arm length, which measured 30 1/4 inches, significantly below the 32-inch threshold for NFL edge rushers. This raised questions about his ability to consistently anchor against NFL tackles, leading to a divided consensus among evaluators. Despite these concerns, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round, 41st overall.
- 01
Plus first-step burst
Off-the-ball get-off is elite for the position; consistently beats SEC tackles to their landmark when he times the snap and threatens the corner.
- 02
Ankle bend and corner
Real flexion around the arc; bends the top of the rush and finishes reps most edges his size stall on, which is what unlocks the sack production.
- 03
Refined hand plan
Layered pass-rush arsenal (swipe, chop, cross-chop, ghost, spin) with real counters when the initial rush is squared up, well beyond typical college depth.
- 04
Signature production burst
Three consecutive sacks on Utah State QB Bryson Barnes (Sept 6, 2025) forced a punt and earned SEC DL POW; the kind of tape that gets replayed in draft rooms.
- 05
Inside rush and games
Comfortable flipping to B-gap on stunts and NASCAR fronts; his short-area quickness travels inside against slower guards on passing downs.
- 01
Arm length
30 1/4" arms are well under the 32" NFL edge threshold; longer tackles can lock him out before his counter package activates, capping the anchor projection.
- 02
Base-down anchor
Frame (6-2 5/8, 253) is on the light side for a full-time edge-setter; can get moved by combo blocks and walled off by tight ends who reach his outside shoulder.
- 03
Pass-rush win rate vs top tackles
When he doesn't win with the first step, the length disadvantage shows up on the second and third try, especially against pro-caliber punch.
- 04
One-year SEC producer
Two quiet years at A&M sandwiched a breakout senior season; scouts want to see whether the 2025 tape or the 2024 tape is the real baseline.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.59sp50
- Vertical
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- Broad jump
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- Three-cone
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- Shuttle
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- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Bowling Green | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Bowling Green | 13 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | Bowling Green | 13 | 27 | 9.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | Texas A&M | 13 | 40 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 2025 | Texas A&M | 12 | 32 | 12.5 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Career | — | 55 | 125 | 28 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Sub-package rush specialist whose value lives on third downs and games; the pragmatic year-two projection given Cincinnati's rotation and the length flag.
Undersized speed-to-power edge who overcame length concerns to become a double-digit-sack rusher; realistic ceiling if the hand plan and burst travel to the pros.
Twitchy, hand-technique rusher whose short arms capped him as a role player once NFL tackle length caught up; the outcome if length wins the argument.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
**Pre-draft context.** A Kansas City-area recruit who became one of the great Group-of-5 development stories of his class. Signed with Bowling Green as a three-star, redshirted, then produced a 9.5-sack MAC-leading season as a redshirt sophomore before transferring to Texas A&M for his final two years. The 2024 A&M junior season was quiet by his standards; the 2025 senior year was historic — 11.5 sacks, 14 TFL, unanimous All-American, and a signature three-straight-plays sack burst against Utah State that got broken down on SEC Network and dragged his name onto every national board. The scouting knock was as loud as the production: 30 1/4" arms and a 6-2 5/8 frame are well below the traditional NFL edge threshold, and rooms split hard on how much that matters when the hand technique is this refined.
**NFL fit — Cincinnati Bengals.** Cincinnati took him at 41 (R2 P9) as a rush-focused complement to Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard, with the reported plan to move him as a wide-9 and interior sub-package rusher on passing downs. The Bengals reportedly gave Howell a fully guaranteed rookie contract, an unusual Day 2 structure that speaks to how confident the team is that the hand plan and speed translate. Immediate role is pass-rush rotation and third-down games; base-down snaps will be earned only if his anchor holds up against NFL tackle length.
**Retrospective.** Too early to grade in July of his rookie summer — training-camp reports will be worth watching. The comp range is wide by design: if the length flag is real, he tops out as a valuable sub-package specialist and role player; if the hand technique and burst travel the way they did against SEC tackles, Cincinnati just found a Day 2 double-digit-sack producer. The unanimous All-American resume and the guaranteed money argue for the higher outcome.