Cashius Howell DE/EDGE Texas A&M |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Scouting Report: Weaknesses

• The 30 1/4-inch arms measured at the Combine are historically short for the position, ranking third shortest in combine history for edge defenders.
• That limited reach compounds every hand-fighting issue: NFL tackles with length will be able to lock onto his chest plate and steer him wherever they want.
• At 253 pounds with a compact frame and short wingspan (74 1/4 inches), he gets knocked around at the point of attack by power schemes and double teams.
• Turns his shoulders perpendicular to the line of scrimmage when setting the edge, giving blockers the angle to wash him down inside on perimeter runs.
• Pass rush currently lacks tempo changes and setup work; too often he fires his best move immediately without disguising intent or setting up counters.
• Drops his eyes and ducks his helmet into first contact against the run, losing sight of the ball carrier and getting sealed off far too easily at this level.

Scouting Report: Summary

Indianapolis changed the calculus on Howell, and anybody who tells you otherwise is not being straight with you. The 30 1/4-inch arms and 74 1/4-inch wingspan confirmed what some evaluators quietly feared heading into the week. Those are historically short measurements for an edge rusher, the kind of numbers that have kept players out of the first round at this position for decades. You can talk yourself into a lot of things on film, but when a guy's reach puts him at a fundamental disadvantage before he even fires off the ball, that demands a serious conversation about ceiling.

And yet, the film is the film. Howell has elite get-off speed, legitimate bend, and three straight years of stacking sacks against increasingly difficult competition. The 11.5 sacks and 41 pressures against SEC offensive lines were not a mirage. His spin move is a problem for tackles at any level, and the closing burst on the backside is something you cannot teach. The issue is that every one of those tools lives inside a frame that NFL tackles will try to smother. Without the length to keep blockers off his chest, Howell has to win with precision and timing on every single snap. His hands are not there yet. They are functional, but functional does not cut it when the guy across from you has four inches of arm length in his favor and knows exactly how to use it.

What you are betting on with Howell is a player whose motor and pass rush instincts can outrun his physical limitations on enough snaps to justify significant investment. The realistic outcome is a designated pass rusher in a four-man front who terrorizes quarterbacks on third down and in obvious passing situations. The run defense concerns were already real before the Combine, and the lack of length only makes the anchor issues, the edge-setting struggles, and the contact discipline problems harder to fix. Some front offices will watch the 2025 SEC tape and see a future double-digit sack artist. Others will fixate on those arms and wonder how long the production holds up against NFL-caliber scheming. The talent is obvious. The questions are just louder now.