For the third time in four years Friday night, the Bengals opted for an edge pass rusher with their first pick when they took Texas A&M's Cashius Howell at the 41^st slot in the second round of the NFL Draft.

In the wake of last week's trade for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, it's the latest first pick the Bengals have ever had in their 59 drafts. They believe the 6-2, 253-pound Howell and his SEC Defensive Player of the Year production is worth the wait.

According to various big boards, Howell is more than worth the wait at No. 41. Pro Football Focus had him at No. 26, Scouts, Inc., at No. 30 and The Athletic's Dane Brugler at No. 39.

"Bendy edge rusher with standout sack totals. Burst and elusiveness are on Howell's rush menu, and he pairs it with a refreshing inside spin counter," writes NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zeirlein. "Howell might not be a three-down player right away, but his ability to create pressure sets him up for a role as a designated rusher, at minimum."

Which is what they need on the edge, where they hope to see the fruits of what they've stockpiled there the last few years. In the wake of losing two-time All-Pro edge Trey Hendrickson, they signed Seattle Super Bowl pass rusher in Boye Mafe in free agency, and he joins on the edge a pair of first-rounders in 2023's Myles Murphy and 2025's Shemar Stewart, Howell's A&M teammate.

The Bengals love how Murphy came on last year when Hendrickson missed the second half of the season, and they have to decide if it is enough to exercise Murphy's fifth-year option for 2027 by next week's deadline.

That's $14 million, which usually hasn't been a problem for the Bengals. But this year they've dropped more than an NFL-leading $300 million in active spending since the new league year started last month, and they're tight enough against the $301 million salary cap that all options are being discussed. Hard to see them not exercising Murphy's option, but you can also see why they opted for another rookie contract on the edge.

Howell's arms aren't particularly long, shorter than 31 inches, but there's no denying him one key metric.

Production.

In his last three seasons, one at Bowling Green and 2024-25 in College Station, he racked up 25 sacks and 33 tackles for loss. Howell, a Kansas City product who turned 23 last week, had 11.5 sacks last season for the Aggies, tied for seventh in the FBS.

Cashius Howell Play Sheet

Pick: Round Two, 41st Overall

Hometown: Kansas City, MO

Height: 6'2 1/2"

Weight: 253 lbs

Arm: 30 1/4"

Hand: 9 1/4"

College career stats (from College Football Reference:) 56 games played, 25 games started, 27 sacks, 35.5 tackles for loss, 127 total tackles across five seasons. 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in 2025.

College Highlights: Howell spent three seasons at Bowling Green and was Third-team All-MAC in 2023 before transferring to Texas A&M. He had a breakout season in 2025, being named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and First-team Associated Press All-American, tying for seventh in the FBS with 11.5 sacks.

Bengals Reaction: "I think the quick wins he can give us as a rusher is really dynamic. His arsenal of rush tools and moves that he has – I don't want to speak for anybody else, but I thought it was second-to-none in this draft class." - Assistant GM Mike Potts

"The guys upstairs did an incredible job in terms of ranking our board, and he was far and away the highest guy that we had. I couldn't believe he kept falling to us to be honest with you. We couldn't have been more thrilled when he was there for us. Dynamic pass rusher, great production – not average production, great production. Motor guy. Can play 4-2 edge, can play outside backer if you go to bigger people. Showed proficiency with the ability to drop. Can help us on special teams. This is a multifaceted athlete and a really twitched-up guy." - DC Al Golden

Player Reaction: "I was just in awe honestly. Just filled with gratitude and so thankful to be placed in this position. This is not my first time being in Ohio, so I'm just ready to just come in and get to work. Let's go get a Super Bowl. Definitely from the combine to the 30 visit, I felt like I established a good connection with everybody on the staff. I felt like the scheme that they portrayed to me and the vision that they talked about me coming in and playing, I felt like it made sense. It was definitely a great overall 30 visit for sure."

How does he fit: The Bengals have now replaced Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai with $60 million man Boye Mafe and the top player on their draft board heading into the second round in Howell.

Howell is another rotational piece for defensive coordinator Al Golden on his new-look line that gives them a different ,sleeker look mixed with the 270-pound bookends Myles Muphy and Shemar Stewart. The 252-pound Howell looks more like the 260-pound Mafe.

"His body type is very similar to Boye. It gives us such a variety on early downs in terms of the multiplicity of fronts we get into," Golden said. "But also on third down and having a number of pass rushers."

Howell himself envisions doing what he did at A &M: "Kind of a hybrid edge rusher. Being a base down defensive end and dropping into coverage, sometimes on different coverages and different blitzes."