Cashius Howell 2026 NFL Draft: Scouting report for Texas A&M Aggies edge rusher

The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year is an intriguing, if concerning, NFL Draft prospect

AJ Schulte — College Football Trending News Writer

Feb 23, 2026 6:00 AM EST

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell (9) rushes the line during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. — Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Height: 6040
Weight: 248
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Josaiah Stewart

2026 NFL Combine Results

Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M

Hand Size: 9 1/4″
Arm Length: 30 1/4″
40-Yard Dash: 4.59
Vertical Leap: 32.5″
Broad Jump: 115″
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A

Pros of Cashius Howell

Very good athletic profile: Howell makes up for his lack of size with a strong overall athletic profile. He’s explosive off the line of scrimmage and can threaten tackles around the arc fairly easily, and blends it with good bend to corner and flatten to the quarterback. Howell closes ground fairly quickly with good pursuit speed, and his burst in short areas stands out.
Very good coverage ability: It’s a fairly rare skill set to see, but Howell can be an asset for a team in coverage instead of a player simply going through the motion. He has the athleticism to peel off and hang with tight ends and running backs in coverage, and I was pleasantly surprised by his awareness in zone coverage when spot dropping underneath. For teams that love to run a lot of sim pressures, Howell could be a coveted prospect.
Good pass rush move set: Howell doesn’t have a particularly deep bag of pass rush moves, but his plan is mostly good and he sets up his inside counters well. I think he leans too far into his high-side rushes and he’ll need to continue to develop his timing and sequencing, but Howell is at least well-rounded here.
Good motor: Howell rarely quits on a play, and will fight through the whistle in his pursuit of the ball carrier, whether it’s fighting through blocks to get to the quarterback or chase down ball carriers in open space.

Cons of Cashius Howell

Poor frame: Howell is well-built, but there’s not much room to add to his frame. This is problematic considering he doesn’t boast much strength throughout his body. Adding extremely short arms (30 3/4″ arms per spring measurements) to that frame doesn’t give me a lot of confidence about projecting his overall upside.
Poor run defense: His lack of strength shows up in the run game. Howell is tenacious and violent, there’s no doubt about his “want to” in run defense. There are just far too many reps of him staying narrow and getting displaced at the point of attack. He will fight and fight to set an edge, but his lack of lower body strength affords him very little anchoring ability, and his lack of length shows up when he tries to shed blocks.
Poor power profile: Howell will try to convert speed-to-power as an occasional counter, but his power gets absorbed far too easily. I simply do not think Howell will threaten NFL tackles that way, which limits just how many ways he can really attack blockers to get to the quarterbacks.

Background

A former three-star recruit out of Kansas City, Howell signed with Bowling Green over the rest of the MAC. After redshirting his freshman year and slowly working his way into the rotation the following year, Howell broke out in 2023, leading the MAC in sacks as a redshirt sophomore. After his strong season, Howell entered the transfer portal before joining the Texas A&M Aggies. In his first season with the Aggies, he backed up two top NFL Draft selections in Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton.

Howell’s final season was his best, leading the SEC in sacks and finishing as a finalist for the Bednarik Award. Howell’s 11.5 sack season saw him named a Unanimous All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Amazingly, he became the first Aggie to be named a Walter Camp All-America First Team member since Myles Garrett.

Player Evaluation

Howell is an exciting, if limited, player. In my mind, Howell is a perfect “designated pass rusher” at the next level, and will be at his best as part of a rotation. He will threaten with speed and can create havoc against the pass or run simply with his first step.

I just worry that he is, and likely always will be, a negative against the run. His limited frame and power don’t suggest to me a player that can develop into a three-down player at the next level. He fights his tail off, which will be enough for many, but I would be cautious about projecting him to be able to set an edge and get off blocks at the point of attack.

Additionally, if he can’t threaten a tackle with power, it gives the opposing blocker so much of an advantage. Speed and bend rushers are the easiest rushers in the world for NFL offensive tackles to handle, especially the veteran blockers. If you can’t threaten them with power at all, you’re surrendering an entire avenue to them, which limits just how effective you can be as a pass rusher.

Overall, I think Howell can be a solid contributor who is skilled enough as a rusher to fit in the NFL and can contribute to a team desperate to boost their pass rush. I see a lot of similarities to how the Los Angeles Rams deployed Josaiah Stewart this season behind Jared Verse and Byron Young, and I think Howell would fit seamlessly into that role. Can he be more than that? I’m not so sure.