{"id":692600,"date":"2026-01-21T02:04:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T02:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/692600\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T02:04:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T02:04:13","slug":"what-to-know-as-am-edge-enters-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/692600\/","title":{"rendered":"What to know as A&M edge enters draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

COLLEGE STATION \u2014 From standing out at Bowling Green to leading the SEC in sacks, Cashius Howell’s rise since joining Texas A&M football<\/a> has been impressive.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After biding his time in 2024 behind Shemar Stewart<\/a> and Nic Scourton <\/a>\u2014 drafted in the first and second rounds of last year’s NFL draft \u2014\u00a0 2025 gave Howell\u00a0a chance to be\u00a0the guy. The Kansas City, Mo., native Howell saw his snap count double, and as a result, so did his production, finishing last year with 11\u00bd sacks and\u00a0unanimous All-American honors for his efforts.<\/p>\n

MORE:\u00a0How A&M basketball used a halftime adjustment to take down Texas<\/a><\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell (9) rushes Samford quarterback Quincy Crittendon (2) during the first quarter Nov. 22, 2025, in College Station.<\/p>\n

Sam Craft\/Associated Press<\/p>\n

Now, he’s set to bring his pass rush skills to the NFL, possibly as a highly paid first-round pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here’s what to know about the former Texas A&M standout and how he could fare in the pros:<\/p>\n

Cashius Howell bio<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0Kansas City, Mo.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Notes:\u00a0Unanimous All-American selection and first-team All-SEC in 2025. Started his collegiate career at Bowling Green after being a three-star recruit out of\u00a0Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo.<\/p>\n

Cashius Howell draft profile<\/p>\n

Most of this information will not be confirmed until Texas A&M’s pro day or the NFL Scouting Combine. Any reports are initial and not finalized.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Hand size:Not yet available<\/p>\n

40-yard dash time:Not yet available\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Bench press:Not yet available\u00a0<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Shuttle time:Not yet available\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cashius Howell scouting report\u00a0<\/p>\n

Strengths:Quick first step and\u00a0violent at the point of attack.\u00a0Excellent dip to get around pass blockers, using his speed and ankle bend to get around the edge efficiently. Tremendous competitive spirit and effort, bringing the intensity often required of the position.<\/p>\n

Weaknesses:Questions remain about how effective he can be in the run game. His pass-rush arsenal isn’t complete right now, with a heavy reliance on speed and quickness rather than strength to win a 1-on-1 rep. He added mass in the offseason between his junior and senior years, with the weight staying relatively the same from 2024, but his body type noticeably bigger. Still, he may need to add a little more bulk to withstand the demands of the NFL.<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

What our reporter noticed:Dominant at times, but always impactful even when the stat sheet didn’t show it. Howell’s ascent into the upper echelon of pass rushers in the nation was something I saw coming back in December 2024<\/a>. All the raw tools and traits were there; he just needed the chance, and in 2025, he got it. A great locker room guy, he was loved by teammates and coaches, and didn’t seem bothered by media responsibilities that will surely increase at the next level.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cashius Howell positional rankings<\/p>\n

Rankings as of early January.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN:No. 3 outside linebacker <\/a><\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Matt Miller, ESPN:No. 10 edge rusher<\/a><\/p>\n

Jordan Reid,\u00a0ESPN:No. 6 edge rusher<\/a><\/p>\n

Steve Muench, ESPN:No. 5 edge rusher<\/a><\/p>\n

Field Yates:No. 5 edge rusher<\/a><\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Cashius Howell draft projections\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pro Football Focus:No. 19 to Carolina Panthers<\/a><\/p>\n

Athlon Sports:No. 17 to Detroit Lions<\/a><\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

Tankathon: No. 20 to Dallas Cowboys<\/a><\/p>\n

CBS Sports (Josh Edwards): No. 30 to New England Patriots<\/a><\/p>\n

Cashius Howell stats by season\u00a0<\/p>\n

2021 (Bowling Green):Four games, six tackles<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

2022 (Bowling Green):13 games, 22 tackles, two sacks, 2\u00bd tackles for loss<\/p>\n

2023 (Bowling Green):13 games, 28 tackles, 9\u00bd sacks, 10\u00bd tackles for loss<\/p>\n

2024 (Texas A&M):13 games, 40 tackles, four sacks, 8\u00bd tackles for loss<\/p>\n

Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n

2025 (Texas A&M):13 games, 31 tackles, 11\u00bd sacks, 14 tackles for loss<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"COLLEGE STATION \u2014 From standing out at Bowling Green to leading the SEC in sacks, Cashius Howell’s rise…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":692601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[21912,7,6,15,1677,3260],"class_list":{"0":"post-692600","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl-draft","8":"tag-cashius-howell","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-nfl-draft","12":"tag-nfl-draft-profile","13":"tag-texas-am-football"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115930639894394695","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/692600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/692601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}