Amid No. 3 Texas A&M’s (8-0, 5-0 SEC) Week 11 bye week, one of the Aggies’ premier stars, senior edge Cashius Howell, has received significant NFL Draft buzz during what has been a breakout season for the redshirt senior, who leads the team with 9.5 sacks and 30-plus pressures, including a 23.6% win rate (PFF) that has every NFL scout paying close attention for the rest of the season.
However, as I discussed on Friday, some trusted media-based scouts, including The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, are basing Howell’s draft positioning on his 30-inch arms, which are not considered “elite” physically and could hinder his ability to take on offensive tackles at the next level.
However, this physical trait has been overblown in projecting future pass rushers’ success, as current Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig has been one of the most consistent pass rushers despite his 31-inch arms and is now a top trade target for teams desperate to add more juice on defense.
Ignoring this, Cashius Howell has been playing out of his mind, making an impact in the backfield on nearly every play, recording at least one sack in all but two games against UTSA and Notre Dame. At the same time, his 6’4″, 250-pound frame is the ideal size for one team in the NFC East looking for another pass rush specialist.
On Saturday, Fox Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang released his initial 2026 NFL Mock Draft. After trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers before the 2025 season began, Rang has the Dallas Cowboys selecting Cashius Howell with the 15th overall pick.
No individual rusher in this class is going to make the Cowboys forget about Micah Parsons (or DeMarcus Lawrence for that matter), but scouts in Dallas won’t have to venture far to find quality defenders capable of helping turn around the league’s leakiest defense. Howell flashed at Bowling Green, and while serving as an oft-used and versatile backup for Texas A&M a year ago. But the passionate defender has emerged as a verifiable star for the Aggies this season, leading the SEC with 9.5 sacks through eight games.
Howell’s ability is unquestioned at this point. After drafting Donovan Ezeiruaku in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, pairing the ascending former Boston College defensive end with Howell’s speed, twitch, and athleticism off the edge, the Cowboys should be in good shape for the future.
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