Why Cashius Howell thinks he fits Bengals' defense

Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (10) is tackled by Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell (9) during the second half of the first round game of the CFP National Playoff at Kyle Field.

Howell added that he modeled himself after players like Shaq Barrett, T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Bud Dupree and Von Miller.

Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden and Assistant General Manager Mike Potts, who spoke to media members after selecting Howell, both compared him to Boye Mafe, an offseason free-agent acquisition by Cincinnati.

Golden and Potts also described fruitful in-person meetings with Howell, both at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this past winter and in Cincinnati for his "Top 30" visit, which ran long, Golden said.

"I really felt like not only in regards to football that that was good, but the personal relationship that I had with (Golden)," Howell said. "It was real. It was genuine, and like I said, it was easy to buy into this culture and buy into what the coaches were saying."

Golden and Potts said mock-draft exercises prepared them for the unexpected availability of Howell when the No. 41 pick came up. Their hopes that Howell would fall to them came to fruition.

Golden said he couldn't believe Howell fell all the way to the 41st pick, adding that the player was a "dynamic pass rusher. Great production. Not average production. Great production."

"We're fired up about what Cashius is going to bring in terms of the pass rush," Potts said. "We like his physicality and his instincts in the run game as well. He was a guy that we had targeted throughout the process and we did a lot of work on him throughout this whole spring."

Potts also downplayed a criticism of Howell possessing shorter arm-length, and Howell said he didn't pay attention to any commentary on that subject.

Perhaps the most colorful thing Howell said during his nearly nine-minute long conference call with media members was reacting to growing up a fan of his hometown Kansas City Chiefs, but seeing the Chiefs pass on selecting him at the 40th overall pick just prior to becoming a Bengals player.

"They had taken an edge rusher before me, so, it's all good," Howell said. "Like I said, I grew up a KC fan but at this point, like I said, I'm just thankful to be a Bengal so we gonna see them whenever we see them... I'm very happy to be a Bengal and wouldn't want to be a Kansas City Chief at this point."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cashius Howell fit with Bengals defense after NFL draft