Bengals Draft Cashius Howell: Elite Pass Rusher

0:00On April 28th, the Cincinnati Bengals grabbed Cassias Howell, a beast-pass rusher from Texas A&M, with the 41st overall pick in the second, round of the 2026 NFL draft. This dude just balled out as SEC defensive player of the year, and it consensus first team All-American after dropping 11.5 sacks, 14, tackles for loss, 31 total tackles, and six pass breakups in 2025. Howell started at Bowling Green, where he led the Mackin sacks before transferring to A&M and elevating his game. His explosive first step and quick get off, make him a nightmare off the edge, letting him threaten tackles from outside with slick moves like the, cross shop and ghost rush. Fans and scouts are buzzing because he brings elite bend, lateral agility, and smarts to bat down passes, or chase plays as an unblocked guy. But he's got some run defense flaws. No real anchor or length is set edges or shed doubles consistently, and his power rushes

1:00don't always finish. Strong. In Cincinnati's scheme, expect him mainly as a stand-up outside linebacker in their odd front, or a 3-point defensive end in nickel sets, probably. A designated pass rush specialist wide-nine, aligned to avoid heavy blocks. He can drop into coverage sometimes too, filling a role like last year's Sam Backer, but with more rush juice. How's agility and bag of moves should disrupt quarterbacks right away, bolstering that bangles d-line rotation and giving them a fresh edge threat? For years, that's your update from NFL News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.