The Seattle Seahawks pre-draft visits are ratcheting up, which makes sense because the NFL Draft is exactly two weeks from Thursday. Anyway, the Super Bowl champions will almost certainly be adding to their pass rushing group this offseason, and it would not be a surprise if they used their top pick on an edge rusher.
Two new names to watch out for on Seattle’s visits list are Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell and Central Florida’s Malachi Lawrence.
Both Howell and Lawrence are at best, late first-round candidates, which is where the Seahawks are gloriously situated this year.
Howell transferred to the Aggies from Bowling Green and had a breakout 2025 season, recording 11.5 sacks while breaking up six passes. Lawrence spent his entire collegiate career at UCF, posting double-digit sacks in 2023 and 2025.
My favorite time of the year is when Dane Brugler’s draft guide, aka ‘The Beast’ publishes, and he has the rundown on both Howell and Lawrence.
Dane Brugler scouting summary on Cashius Howell
A one-year starter at Texas A&M, Howell was a boundary edge rusher (mostly stand-up) in head coach Mike Elko’s versatile front. After producing in the MAC, he transferred up to the SEC to prove himself and subsequently became the ninth unanimous All-American in Texas A&M history, with an SEC-best 11 sacks in 2025. He also became Texas A&M’s first SEC Defensive Player of the Year since the team joined the conference in 2012 (and the first Aggie to win top defensive player in any conference since Dat Nguyen in 1998).
The NFL covets dynamic space athletes, and Howell brings plenty of juice off the edge. With his get-off burst, he eats up the tackle’s cushion and uses his agility, hip flexibility and aggressive hands to get blockers off balance using his rush sequencing. Though more physical than his size suggests, he can find himself swallowed up and sealed when attempting to contain, and his run game instincts must catch up with his physical gifts.
Dane Brugler’s scouting summary on Malachi Lawrence
A two-year starter at UCF, Lawrence worked at both left and right defensive end (stand-up and hand on the ground) in defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s multiple fronts (rotation-heavy; Lawrence averaged 39.2 defensive snaps in 2025). The last remaining member of UCF’s 2021 recruiting class still on the roster in 2025, he showed gradual improvements each season and became just the 10th player in school history to reach 20 career sacks.
Much of Lawrence’s success in college came from his play urgency and weaponized length. He is twitchy off the ball and uses his long arms and well-timed hands to help pry open corners or create interior rush lanes. However, there are times when he gets stuck at the top of his rush, especially when engulfed by size. Against the run, he uses his length to press blockers off his frame and stay available to chase.
The main knock on Howell is his arm length, which is just 30 1/4” and could impact him at the professional level. Lawrence has had issues with missed tackles and is not considered as physically powerful as his 270-pound frame suggests. They’re both in that second group of edge rushing prospects, distant from Arvell Reese, Rueben Bain Jr, and David Bailey.
Seattle’s main outside linebacker group is in an interesting spot. Boye Mafe joined the Cincinnati Bengals, Derick Hall and Uchenna Nwosu are on expiring contracts, and while DeMarcus Lawrence seems set to return for 2026, his future as an NFL player is not a long-term deal. It’s no surprise that the Seahawks are looking across the projected draft board to add to this position.
