If there’s one lesson the 2025 season hammered home for the Detroit Lions, it’s this: you can never have too many pass-rushers.
Kelvin Sheppard’s defense flashed real promise early in the year when the unit was healthy and clicking, but as injuries piled up and inexperience showed, the group faded down the stretch. Now, with multiple veteran defensive ends unlikely to return in 2026, Brad Holmes is staring at a familiar offseason priority, finding another legit threat to line up opposite Aidan Hutchinson.
And in the latest PFF 2026 NFL Mock Draft, that’s exactly where Detroit turns its attention.
PFF Projects Lions to Add a True Edge Playmaker
Draft analyst Trevor Sikkema has the Lions using Pick No. 17 on Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell, a high-production pass-rush specialist who’s been one of the most efficient edge defenders in college football over the last three seasons.
Sikkema’s reasoning lines up perfectly with Detroit’s roster reality:
Detroit needs a true one-on-one pass-rush winner opposite Aidan Hutchinson — and Howell checks that box.
The numbers back that up:
- 90+ PFF pass-rush grades in three straight seasons
- 19.8% pass-rush win rate this year
- Consistent production at every stop in his career
His arm length isn’t ideal and may cause some teams to hesitate, but the tape keeps producing the same story: Howell wins, and he wins often.
Why This Pick Fits the Lions’ Offseason Puzzle
With Al-Quadin Muhammad, Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike, and Marcus Davenport all question marks going forward, the Lions’ defensive end room is headed toward major turnover.
Brad Holmes doesn’t want Hutchinson out there doing everything by himself again.
Detroit’s past few seasons have proven something pretty clearly: when the Lions can generate pressure without blitzing, the defense holds up. When they can’t, everything else starts leaking.
Howell isn’t projected as a developmental flier or rotational body — he’s viewed as a potential Day 1 sub-package rusher who can grow into a full-time starter.
That’s exactly the profile the Lions need.
Howell’s Journey: From Bowling Green to Breakout Star
Before becoming a force at Texas A&M, Howell began his career at Bowling Green, where he made his first big leap as a redshirt sophomore:
- 9.5 sacks
- 11 tackles for loss
- Third-team all-conference honors
He followed that up in 2024 with a versatile stat line:
- 4 sacks
- 40 tackles
- 9 TFLs
- 1 interception
- 7 passes defended
At 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, Howell isn’t just a bend-and-burst edge. He plays with instincts, disrupts throwing lanes, and finds ways to affect the play even when he isn’t getting home.
That kind of motor tends to translate well in the NFL, and fits the Lions’ tone-setting identity.
The Bottom Line
Mock drafts will change a thousand times between now and April, but the theme feels right:
-The Lions need another legit pass-rush threat
-Hutchinson deserves a true partner on the edge
-Defensive end remains one of the most realistic Round 1 paths
If Howell is on the board at 17, he’s the exact type of defender Brad Holmes has historically gravitated toward, productive, relentless, and proven.
And if Detroit finally lands a consistent pass-rush duo?
Yeah… that could change everything for this defense.
