Texas A&M Star Cracks Top 7 EDGE Players in PFF's Latest Rankings

He joins a stacked list of talent ranked ahead of him, including Florida’s Tyreak Sapp (90.4), Tennessee’s Joshua Josephs (89.8), Auburn’s Keldric Faulk (83.8), and Texas EDGE Colin Simmons (82.6). Right behind Howell are Alabama’s L.T. Overton (82.3) and South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart (80.9).

Those are big expectations for Howell. Three of the names listed above (Sapp, Faulk, and Overton) appear in ESPN’s Matt Miller’s latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, while Stewart and Simmons are expected to be first-rounders once draft-eligible.

Still, the hype is warranted.

Despite being overshadowed by NFL talent in 2024, Howell quietly put together a great season. He finished second on the team with four sacks, recorded 40 total tackles (eight for loss), added one interception, and tallied an impressive eight pass breakups. One of those breakups even led to Will Lee’s pick-six against Texas.

Howell spent his first three seasons at Bowling Green, where he developed into one of the top defensive players in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). His breakout came as a junior, when he recorded 9.5 sacks, 27 tackles, and a forced fumble, production that caught the attention of Mike Elko and his staff.

Now entering what’s expected to be his final collegiate season, Howell is tasked with leading the pressure for defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s unit. 

And there is plenty of room for improvement.  Despite boasting one of the most talented defensive lines in the SEC, A&M left much to be desired in 2024.

The unit finished third-worst in the SEC in sacks (25), allowed the second-most rushing yards per game (195.5), and gave up 4.8 yards per carry, the fourth-highest mark in the conference. It was a disappointing return for what should have been one of the team’s biggest strengths.

Heading into Elko’s second year, Howell and crew will look to bring back the ferocity that once gave A&M’s defense its fierce identity as the “Wrecking Crew”.