Cashius Howell is a stand-up edge who wins almost entirely through speed, bend and short area explosiveness. The speed he plays at is genuinely frightening and the combination of burst, bend, flatten and finish is among the most explosive in this group.

I timed both of his sacks against LSU under roughly 2.3 seconds, and they came in different ways: one where he had to take a wider path to account for a releasing tight end and another from the opposite side where he simply beat the tackle clean. That kind of consistent speed off the edge forces quarterbacks to speed up their process even when he does not get home because tackles end up grasping at air and the pocket collapses earlier than expected. His bend is exceptional; he gets so low at the top of the rush that tackles often cannot even reach him, but what really stands out is how he carries speed through the entire movement. Many edge rushers lose momentum once they dip and turn the corner, whereas Howell stays fluid and continues accelerating through the arc.

His short area mechanics are extremely twitchy. He can spin, cut and redirect very quickly which allows him to escape blocks even when he cannot run through them. If he cannot go through a blocker he will often find a way around in a hurry. That same speed and agility show up against screens and broken plays where he can chase down chaos in the backfield.

The issue is size and play strength and there is no way around that. At around 6’2″ and 245 pounds he is essentially linebacker-sized and tackles in the run game were able to move him without much resistance. When bigger blockers got their hands on him he had very little recourse and could be thrown aside. Because of this he is realistically limited to the weak side or a designated pass rush role. His dip move is very effective as a pass rush tool but he uses it too often in the run game which takes him completely out of his assignment and opens space behind him.

Another concern is the sustainability of his production. A lot of his wins come from quick flashes or from protection breakdowns rather than from a deep and repeatable rush plan. His tape can feel one-dimensional at times. If he is not given isolated rush opportunities off the edge against true drop-back situations he can disappear for stretches. He also does not always show the throttle control needed to fully capitalise on the opportunities his speed creates; his focus is almost entirely on reaching the quarterback, which means he is not particularly effective at reading and reacting in the run game.