Cashius Howell Prospect Profile
Background
Cashius Howell grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, attended Rockhurst High School, where he carried a 3.6 GPA and set a school record with six sacks in a single game as a junior, and graduated without a single power conference offer, committing to Bowling Green. As a redshirt sophomore in 2023, he topped the MAC with 9.5 sacks, then transferred to Texas A&M, spending his initial Aggie season rotating behind future NFL draft picks Shemar Stewart and Nic Scourton. He broke out in 2025 with 11.5 sacks, the most by an Aggie since Myles Garrett in 2014. The SEC named him Defensive Player of the Year, and he earned unanimous All-American honors before declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Physical Attributes
RAS:
A lot is said of Rueben Bain's short arms. Howell's are over a half an inch shorter. His wingspan is also only 74 1/4 inches. Those are the 2nd shortest arms ever recorded for an EDGE at the combine, and only Caden Curry, the EDGE out of Ohio State this year, has shorter arms. Howell's wingspan is also the 2nd shortest ever. Combine that with a diminutive frame for an EDGE, and yeah Howell is small. He tries to make up for it with his speed, and can overcome a lot, but that size is an actual concern.
Data and Tape Analysis
If you are unfamiliar with my EDGE radar charts, you can find more information here
It is almost hard to write about Howell, because in the past I loved speed rushers so much. Though that love has been beaten out of me by the now many failed college speed specialists who come into the NFL.
Howell gets stuck. All the time. He is swallowed up by double teams, bigger linemen, and even tight ends. Once in someones grasp, there is little he can do to escape.
This is especially a problem in the run game. Unable to get off of run blocks, he rarely can make a play at the runner. Add to that he is so easily moved off his spot, and especially at the next level, I am worried he will offer next to no utility in the run game. He does have great backside pursuit when left unblocked so that's... something?
As a pass rusher, his entire game is to not get touched. He wants to use speed around the outside, or use a great euro step move to cut back inside to keep linemen honest. Looking at those numbers above, it works a lot. Though when against stiffer competition, he really struggled to continue to have the same impact.
Grade and Outlook
I am just not sure if Howell can make it work as a pure EDGE in the NFL. The size is not just scary; it is downright terrifying. He has the movement skills to moonlight as an off ball linebacker, but you are drafting him to pressure the QB, and against the man mountain OTs of the NFL, I am not convinced he will do it with any consistency.
Grade: 5.3 (3rd Rounder)