Former Texas A&M DE Cashius Howell selected by Cincinnati Bengals in second round of NFL Draft

The Cincinnati Bengals selected former Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell in the 2026 NFL Draft, using the 41st overall pick in the second round on him Friday night. He will join his former Aggie teammate, Shemar Stewart, the defensive end who the Bengals picked took in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the 17th overall selection. He also is the third former A&M player to be drafted at the time of publication, joining first-round pick KC Concepcion (Cleveland Browns) and second-round selection Chase Bisontis (Arizona Cardinals).

Howell having 30 ¼-inch arms – the shortest of any edge rusher since at least 1999 – was the biggest pre-draft concern with him. But the Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst product produced a 2025 season to remember, becoming just the 11th player in program history to garner unanimous All-American accolades. He also earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-SEC honors in his final season of eligibility. 

Through 13 games last fall, Howell recorded 29 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks, 41 pressures, six passes defended and a forced fumble. When combining his two seasons with the Aggies, he tallied 71 tackles, 22.5 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, 75 pressures, one interception, 14 passes defended and two forced fumbles over 26 games.

Before arriving at A&M, Howell spent three seasons at Bowling Green. In 30 games, including 10 starts, he racked up a combined 56 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, 11.5 sacks, two passes defended, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Dane Brugler, an NFL Draft analyst for The Athletic, told Aggie Yell reporter Carter Karels last December that Howell improved his draft stock significantly in 2025. He said Howell entered last season as a projected fifth- or sixth-round pick. 

“To see him really develop this year has been a lot of fun,” Brugler said. “Now, is he a complete player? That’s what scouts are wrestling with. They want to see more consistency in the run game, with some of his secondary moves. 

“The burst and the ability to win the corner, that’s really what he hangs his hat on. But there are still elements to his game that scouts want to see more of. And he’s undersized, there’s no way around that, so he won’t be for everybody. But when you can bring the juice like that off the edge, you’re going to go.”

Below is what Pro Football Focus wrote about Howell:

Howell’s measurables are not ideal, but his hand usage, burst and pass-rush arsenal allow him to be disruptive in one-on-one situations as a situational edge defender.

Partly because of Howell, the Aggies put together an impressive 2025 season. They made the College Football Playoff for the first time ever and finished tied with the second-most victories in program history, compiling an 11-2 overall record. Their season ended with a 10-3 home loss to Miami in the first round of the CFP.

Howell also could help A&M make history in the three-day NFL Draft, which is set to go through Saturday in Pittsburgh. The Aggies might surpass their record of 10 selections – which came in 1976 when the draft lasted 17 rounds – and seven picks since the format changed to seven rounds in 1994. They set a program record in NFL Scouting Combine invites this year, totaling a nation-leading 13 in February.

Throughout the NFL Draft, stay tuned at Aggie Yell for more news and analysis regarding all the former A&M players who are selected.