2026 NFL Draft profile: Edge rusher Cashius Howell

Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the days leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, WGR will provide profiles on some players that could be a good fit for the Buffalo Bills at positions of need.

One of the positions of priorities for the Bills this offseason at the annual entry-level draft should be on the edge, and establishing a pass rush that can help make life easier for new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.

Cashius Howell's football journey, which he hopes will take him to the NFL, made a stop in the Mid-American Conference. The Kansas City, Missouri native spent the first three seasons of his college career playing at Bowling Green State University.

Howell played in 30 games for the Falcons, and was Third-Team All-MAC in 2023 when he led the conference in sacks with 9.5.

He then transferred to Texas A&M after the 2023 season.

Howell then spent two seasons with the Aggies, and was used at the edge position. In 2024, he played in every game and recorded 40 tackles, eight passes defended, four sacks and one interception.

Heading into his 2025 season, Howell measured in at 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds. He had fewer tackles (31) from the year before, but totaled 11.5 sacks and had more than 30 quarterback pressures.

For his efforts, Howell was honored as First-Team All-SEC, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and a unanimous All-American. He was also the first Aggies player since former Bills pass rusher Von Miller to have multiple three-sack games in the same season.

At the NFL Combine in February, Howell ran a 4.60 40-yard dash, which was the fourth-fastest of any defensive lineman. He also had the fastest time (14.52 seconds) in the pass rush drill. It was the fastest time for any defensive lineman in the last three years of testing at the Combine.

Joe Marino does draft analysis work for WGR, and can also be heard on the “Locked on Bills” podcast. His work can also be found at TheJoeMarino.com. Here is what he has to say about Howell:

Positives:

With Howell, it’s burst and bend off the edge. There's a speed element to how he can win, and he's super flexible to be able to turn tight angles and get home to the quarterback.

And there's a lot of variety with how he wins. You see some of these smaller edge rushers that don't have a lot of length, and they don't have the diversity of pass rush moves that you're going to get from Howell. He's very proficient with the ghost move, the inside spin, the rip move. He's got plenty of swipes and different hand moves to be able to beat blocks.

What I really enjoy about his rush profile is how it all works together to really reduce the amount of surface area he presents to the blocker. It's hard for these guys to get their hands on him. He's got this really appealing blend of quickness, flexibility, hand usage, and twitch to make it hard to get hands on guys.

He can certainly create a lot of havoc with that combination of traits.

Negatives:

He lacks length and mass significantly. He's probably going to play around 250 pounds, and he's got 30-and-a-quarter-inch arms.

While those aren't nearly as limiting factors rushing the passer, which is the most important thing he can do, they will show up as a run defender. If you're going to ask him to set the edge and play with extension on the edge, that's going to be a real challenge for him against the run.

You kind of have to get him slashing and running through gaps. You have to be creative to make sure that he can help you on run downs, because he's got a lot of limiting factors with his lack of length and lack of mass to serve as a traditional kind of edge player against the run.

He's got limitations to him, but what he does is really important. What he does at a high level is super valuable. You just have to find ways to make him useful on every down.

WGR will provide full coverage of the 2026 NFL Draft during all seven rounds, starting Thursday, April 23 and continuing through Saturday, April 25.