The Patriots won the AFC East on Sunday with a win paired with a Buffalo Bills loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Patriots’ immediate focus will be on the playoffs, but they will quickly turn their attention to the NFL Draft and free agency. Despite their success this season, the Patriots will have holes to fill in the offseason.
Regardless of whether the Patriots re-sign K’Lavon Chaisson or not, they could be targeting pass rushers. The Patriots have just 31 sacks through 16 games. CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards projected they would draft Cashius Howell out of Texas A&M with their first-round pick.
“Cashius Howell is not of prototypical size, but his production has been undeniable,” Edwards wrote of Howell on Wednesday. “He is another log for Mike Vrabel to throw on the pass-rushing fire. Howell is similarly built to K’Lavon Chaisson and Harold Landry; both were top 50 overall selections.”
Howell is listed at 6-foot-2 and 248 pounds. He is slightly undersized for his position, but his production speaks for itself. He was the 2025 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-American.
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He led the SEC with 11 1/2 sacks. He also had 14 tackles for a loss. In the last two seasons he had a total of 15 1/2 sacks and 22 1/2 tackles for a loss. Before arriving at Texas A&M, he played at Bowling Green University. He led the Mid-American Conference in sacks in 2023.
Howell has shown he can produce despite his size. Leading the SEC in sacks is no joke, but ultimately, how he performs at the combine could dictate where he lands in the draft. If Chaisson leaves in free agency, pass rusher may be high on the Patriots’ list of needs.
