Cashius Howell shuts down his biggest criticism in pre-draft interview

On the Up & Adams show hosted by Kay Adams, former Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell had a simple answer to shoot down concerns about his disappointing combine measurements: “I ball out.”

Howell officially conquered the collegiate football landscape this year, earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and being named a unanimous consensus All-American. He established himself as one of the best pass rushers in the nation after racking up 11.5 sacks (2nd in SEC) and will enter the NFL as one of the league’s quickest EDGEs with his 90th percentile 40-yard dash and 92nd percentile 10-yard split.

Yet, despite his proven production and elite burst at a valuable position, Howell is widely considered a second-round prospect. The reason why? His short arms.

At the draft combine, Howell was measured to have a 30.25-inch arm length, which placed him in the 0th percentile as he set a new record for the shortest wingspan measured for an edge rusher. This is a massive red flag to analysts, who caution that such a short wingspan could leave Howell incapable of using his quickness advantage.

Howell disagrees. In their interview, Adams asked Howell what his take was on the arm-length debate, prefacing her question with the admission that she doesn’t think his wingspan is a major problem. Howell responded, “I really don’t feel like it has that big of an impact or role, and I feel like at this point the length of my arms hasn’t deterred me in any way.”

Howell understands that he can overcome his arm length by continuing “to be a master of [his] craft and a master of [his] technique,” and he is confident that “the way that [he plays] will definitely translate to the next level.”

Howell ended his answer with a simple yet provably accurate claim: “I ball out.”