The Buffalo Bills have been overhauling their defense, and that is expected to continue in the NFL Draft.
Buffalo has some holes on defense, and despite signing Bradley Chubb, the Bills could use some help getting after the quarterback. Ahead of the NFL Draft, NFL analyst Bruce Feldman of The Athletic mocked the team to select Cashius Howell out of Texas A&M.
“Von Miller was the first explosive speed rusher with great get-off from Texas A&M that Buffalo brought in, though Miller came late in his career,” Feldman wrote. “The Bills hope Howell can give them some of the juice the other Aggies great gave the Broncos when he first left College Station.
“The 6-2, 253-pound Howell lacks ideal length. His arms measured only 30 1/4 inches. But he turned heads at the combine when he clocked a 1.58-10 second split on his 4.59 40. Like Miller, Howell can really bend — maybe not quite as well as Miller, but few ever could. Howell, who began his career at Bowling Green, should be a pass-rushing force for Buffalo. He had 14 TFLs and 11.5 sacks in 2025.”
If Howell can come close to what Miller was early in his NFL career, it would be a stellar pick and would bolster the Bills’ pass rush.
At Texas A&M last season, Howell recorded 11.5 sacks and a forced fumble, which was his best college season.
Howell’s Size Could be an Issue
Although Howell is drawing some comparisons to Miller, he’s expected to be a late first-round pick due to his size.
Howell’s arm size could cause him to drop, yet one SEC coach told Feldman that he expects Howell to find success in the NFL.
“He’s not long, but I doubt that’s gonna be a big problem for him because he has such great get-off and bend. He gets people on their heels,” said an SEC O-line coach. “We also thought he has a really good feel for things and changes things up well.”
The pass rusher is known for his change-of-direction skills and his ability to bend. Yet, a knock on him is his arm size and technique, which could be an issue against better offensive linemen.
Bills Overhauling Defense
Buffalo fired head coach Sean McDermott, which resulted in defensive coordinator Bobby Babich also leaving.
The Bills went out and hired Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator, and he wants a new-look defense.
“I think there is a level of versatility in there that is exciting to think about,” Leonhard said about Buffalo’s roster. “I am big on flexibility and being able to play to your best players and force offenses to try to find your issues and to have to deal with their own problems. Not always being reactive. …
“We’re going to be an attacking defense up front and in the back end. We’re going to attack the football. The biggest stat in football is turnovers. So we’re going to be aggressive. We’re going to fly around, we’re going to communicate, we’re going to play well together. But we’re going to cause issues for offense, and we’re going to force them to react to us.”
Buffalo has already made multiple signings this offseason to bolster the defense, and the Bills may not be done.
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