The Cincinnati Bengals waited 40 picks to finally make one of their own, and they landed on Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell with the No. 41 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Cincinnati used its first pick of last year’s draft to take Howell’s former teammate, Shemar Stewart. The two will be reunited in the Queen City, and the Bengals add yet another piece to a defensive line that has changed dramatically over the last few months.

Cashius Howell brings a new dimension to the Bengals’ defensive line room

Howell was one of the most proficient pass rushers available entering the second night of the draft. He had a pass rush win rate of 28.2% against true pass sets over the last two years at Texas A&M.

He’s also a lot smaller than the average Bengals EDGE you’re thinking of.

Stewart is 6-5, 267. Myles Murphy is 6-5, 275. Even Boye Mafe is 6-4, 263.

The 23-year old stands at 6-2, 253 pounds with an arm length of 30.25″ and a wingspan of 74.25″. His lack of length may prevent him from becoming a three-down defensive end with his hand in the turf, and that’s typically been the prototype for Cincy’s EDGE players.

His size and frame also gives him an advantage doing what he does best, as explained by our own Kyle Crabbs:

Texas A&M Aggies pass rusher Cashius Howell has a bit of a niche skill set as a pass rusher. He is a short-armed speed rusher who has one of the most explosive first steps in the entire class. If you get behind the sticks, Howell has a chance to be a game wrecker from wide alignments and harass your quarterback. However, Howell does have his fair share of limitations in the run game and with power that could create some barriers to success. Howell struggles to deconstruct blocks and free himself in tight alignments, so he’ll be better served flexed outside of a tight end or a base end to the formational strength, where he can get upfield and naturally turn runs back inside with his positioning. Howell plays with a great motor and should be a valuable spark plug for a team’s pass rush — in the right role.

Duke Tobin meant what he said

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin let it be known he wanted to bolster his team’s pass rush this offseason. Mafe, Jonathan Allen, Dexter Lawrence, and now Howell are the pieces that he targeted to fulfill his vision.

“Pass rush is king, and you always need to be layering in pass rusher,” Tobin said on Jan. 9. “It can develop from within your team, and I think we’ve seen some of that start to develop from within our team, and then I think we need to find some from external sources as well.”

Howell will come in as one of Cincy’s top four EDGE defenders and have similar responsibilities as Mafe considering the size comparison. For a defense that was still another piece away from truly solidifying its rotation of rushers, Howell can make an instant and valuable impact.

Add on the value of getting a fringe first-round player at No. 41, and you have a really solid pick.

Grade: A-