Cashius Howell has been the subject of a lot of criticism lately, as his draft stock following the NFL Combine— where he honestly had a pretty good showing— has gone in the exact opposite direction fans had hoped for. That's almost solely due to one factor: his less-than ideal arm length.
Howell does, admittedly, have very short arms for a pass-rusher— some of the shortest ever recorded at the Combine. However, though many see this as a limitation, he's clearly been able to overcome it at every level so far— including the SEC and into the College Football Playoff.
Cashius was on Up & Adams today to speak about the criticisms he's been receiving, and he came with one simple message as a rejoinder to the trepidation some GMs have been feeling.
Cashius Howell has a simple message to doubters who criticize his measurables
You can see the whole clip in the post below:
Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell's response to criticisms about his arm length?
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 21, 2026
"I ball out" đŸ˜¤@2cashius | @AggieFootball | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/cd64eZ7yNg
"I feel like, at this point, the length of my arms hasn't deterred me in any way. I'm coming off a pretty great year this past year at A&M, and I feel like, as long as I continue to be a master of my craft and a master of my technique... the way that I play will definitely translate at the next level. I'll ball out, honestly."Cashius Howell
This is a confident message from the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, to say the least. Howell clearly is unbothered by the criticisms that have been resounding ever since the combine about his arm length, as he knows that there's more to the picture than just that one measurement.
Howell is an extremely sudden athlete with lots of bend, and there are very few tackles who can keep up with his speed rush. As he showed against Utah State, too, when he recorded a sack in three straight snaps, he has a proficiency in using previous pass rush moves to set up future ones— something that shows just how cerebral he is as a player.
Kay Adams mentions a couple of other "undersized" pass rushers as well who have taken the league by storm in Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson— Howell certainly compares favorably to those two. Though the groupthink may end up seeing Howell fall out of the first round later this week, he will doubtless make a huge impact wherever he ends up.
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