There are few things more important than rushing the passer and disrupting the opposing quarterback. That’s good news for Texas A&M edge defender Cashius Howell, who was flying under the radar early in the draft process.
Howell was one of the most explosive pass rushers in college football and one of the foundations of Texas A&M’s playoff caliber defense. He just happens to be coming out in a very deep year for pass rushers, and is getting lost in the shuffle despite racking up 14.0 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks last year.
The New York Giants have invested heavily in their defensive front and have one of the deepest rotations of hyper-athletic pass rushers in the NFL. However, that could change pending free agency and the trade market. Could the Giants still consider Howell if the complexion of their roster and draft changes?
Prospect: Cashius Howell (9)
Games Watched: vs. LSU (2025), vs. Auburn (2025), vs. South Carolina (2025)
Red Flags: none
Measurables
Height: 6-foot-2 (unofficial)
Weight: 248 pounds (unofficial)
Strengths
Best traits
- First step
- Lower body fluidity
- Bend and burst
- Overall athleticism
- Hand usage
- Pass rush
Cashius Howell is a slightly undersized but explosively athletic edge defender. Howell is built like a typical off-ball linebacker 6-foot-2, 248 pounds, but is simply electric off the edge.
He excels at timing the snap and firing into the backfield, getting great depth off his first three steps. Howell is easily able to stress blockers with his speed, but also isn’t a linear rusher. He has a very flexible and fluid lower body, with great ankle, knee, and hip mobility to dip and bend around the edge. He’s able to keep his cleats firmly planted in the turf and carry his speed around the arc and into the backfield.
Howell also comes into the NFL with a mature array of pass rush moves. He understands who he is and built his pass rush arsenal around his tools and game. Howell blends power and speed moves, favoring a mixture of long-arm, club, chop, rip, and spin moves. He understands how to rush with a plan, consistently bringing a counter move if his initial move is picked up, as well as understanding how to set blockers up over the course of a game.
Howell’s athleticism also makes dropping into coverage an occasional option. His pass rush upside means he should usually be attacking into the backfield, however his agility and overall athleticism are good enough that he can execute shallow zone drops to disguise blitzes.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Size
- Run defense
Howell is a pass rush specialist at this point in his development and offers limited appeal as a run defender.
He’s far from useless defending the run, however his game is predicated on disrupting in the backfield and chasing down plays from behind. He can be too willing to keep blockers in front of him and play “patty cake” with tackles when defending the run, rather than engaging, stacking, and shedding blockers. He has relatively limited tackle production at the collegiate level and that’s unlikely to change in the NFL.
Teams that are inclined to “build a wall” along the line of scrimmage would likely want a bigger, stouter edge defender than Howell.
Game Tape
(Howell is the Texas A&M edge rusher wearing number 9 and a sleeve on his left arm.)
Projection
Cashius Howell projects as a pass rush specialist in the NFL with starting upside in the right scheme.
More pure 4-3 defenses will likely view Howell as more of a 3rd EDGE and 3rd down pass rusher, a la Osi Umenyiora later in his career. However, hybrid schemes that use stand-up rushers as both defensive ends and outside linebackers could see every-down value in Howell.
He isn’t a dominant run defender at the point of attack, however his disruptiveness is enough that he can blow up running plays behind the line of scrimmage or bring down runners spilled outside by the defensive interior.
Attacking the quarterback is still the most important thing a defense can do, and Howell’s upside there means that he won’t have to wait long to hear his name called, and might not make it out of the first round.
Does he fit the Giants? Probably not
Final Word: A first round prospect
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