New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots are one of the few NFL franchises that shouldn’t be concerned about the 2026 NFL Draft at the moment, since they are one of the best teams in the NFL.
It’s always a good idea to start evaluating potential players for New England ahead of the draft in April. The Draft Network’s Jaime Eisner published a new mock draft on Sunday, and he has the Patriots selecting Texas A&M pass rusher Cashius Howell with the 32nd pick.
“The New England Patriots need more disruptors against opponents’ passing attacks,” Eisner wrote. “Cashius Howell’s arm length will be a major pre-draft talking point, but you can’t deny his production. He’s explosive off the snap, plays with a hot motor, and has proven he can produce from multiple alignments.”
Howell is in his second season at A&M after spending his first three college seasons at Bowling Green. This season, Howell has 11.5 sacks through 11 games.
Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema released an early ranking of his top 315 draft prospects on Monday, and has Howell listed as the No. 17 overall player.
“Howell is a bit undersized overall for edge rushers in the NFL, but when you limit the percentile to just outside linebackers, his size checks out,” Sikkema wrote. “He’s a competitive player in both the run and pass game, and as the 2024 season went on, he became more confident with a variety of pass-rush moves, including a nasty inside spin counter.
“He has a false step that can be cleaned up, which could make him even faster out of his stance, but he seems to have limited flexibility to threaten the outside shoulder with speed. Even in his current form, he’s a rotational edge option for a 3-4 front as an outside linebacker.”
