The SEC's Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American after a monster season at Texas A&M, Cashius Howell was Cincinnati's top pick in the 2026 draft.
Cashius Howell went from a three-year run at Bowling Green to a breakout final season at Texas A&M, where he racked up 11.5 sacks and swept SEC defensive honors. The Bengals made him their headline pick of the 2026 draft, taking him in the second round to bolster their pass rush.
Path to the league
Howell starred at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri, recording 150 tackles and 21 sacks, before starting his college career at Bowling Green in 2021. He spent three seasons with the Falcons, leading the MAC with 9.5 sacks and earning third-team All-MAC honors in 2023, before transferring to Texas A&M in January 2024.
Career highlights
Howell's college resume includes 30 games at Bowling Green with 11.5 sacks and two seasons at Texas A&M that culminated in a dominant 2025 campaign. He became the 11th Texas A&M player to earn unanimous All-American honors and was named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year.
2025 season recap
In his final college season, Howell started all 12 games for Texas A&M and posted 29 tackles and 11.5 sacks, including a three-sack game against Utah State that earned him SEC Defensive Player of the Week and another three-sack outing against Mississippi State, making him the first Aggie since Von Miller in 2009 to post multiple three-sack games in a season. The Bengals selected him with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2026 draft, adding him to a defensive end rotation with Myles Murphy, Boye Mafe and Shemar Stewart.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Cashius Howell
- Bengals.com: Cashius Howell
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Texas A&M
- Hometown
- Kansas City, MO, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
