The Seattle Seahawks had 11 picks in the 2025 NFL draft, and nine of those were offensive players. While the team has just four heading into the 2026 draft, one might assume most, if not all, will be spent on defenders. The team might hope that one player available early in the draft will be Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell.
Not so fast, though, says San Francisco 49ers expert Peter Panacy. Panacy is the lead editor at Niner Noise, and recently listed his top-five prospects for San Fran in FanSided's draft big board. All five prospects could be gone in the first round, and could be gone before the 49ers' first pick, but a couple, like Howell, might last a bit longer.
The issue is that the 49ers don't choose their first selection until No. 27, which is just a handful of picks before Seattle is set to have their first choice at No. 32. Both teams clearly would like to use the services of Howell, but San Francisco, at this point, has the right of first refusal due to having the higher draft selection.
49ers might be prepared to steal Cashius Howell from the Seattle Seahawks in the 2026 NFL draft
Panacy writes of Howell that the edge rusher "might be a bit undersized, but he's explosive and violent...Howell might not be the best pure pass-rusher in the class, but he's arguably the most energetic."
As 12s all know, head coach Mike Macdonald will make good players great, and if Howell is a bit undersized, that won't matter. What Macdonald and general manager John Schneider want is players who strive for greatness, and that is exactly who the Texas A&M edge rusher is.
No secret exists that the Seahawks aren't interested in Howell, either. He has already been among the 30 visits Seattle can have with prospects ahead of the draft. Maybe that visit went poorly, but we can safely assume it didn't.
To be sure, while Howell might be a tad small for an edge rusher, he is still big enough to become a consistent disruptor. He is 6'2 1/2" and 255 pounds and has timed in the 40-yard dash at a blistering (for his position) 4.59. Again, though, what stands out most about Howell is his non-stop motor.
This allowed him to have at least 44 quarterback pressures in his final three seasons in college, including 41 last season. That number included 11.5 sacks. He also had 14 tackles for loss, while missing 11.1 percent of his tackle attempts, a solid number for an edge rusher.
If the Seattle Seahawks stay at pick 32, and Howell falls to them, it wouldn't be surprising if John Schneider chooses him, as the edge rusher is bound to be a great fit in the team's culture. He can also learn from DeMarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu how to be good quickly. Of course, none of that can happen if the San Francisco 49ers steal him first.
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