The San Francisco 49ers have been connected to many different positions with the No. 27 pick. But, as is the case with most things, the simplest option is most often the right one.

The 49ers need edge rusher help, and they've shown a willingness to address it in the first round as recently as the 2025 draft when the team took Mykell Williams. And now that he's recovering from an ACL injury (along with Nick Bosa), San Francisco should add at least one more piece to that group while the team's top two options recover..

That's why The Athletic's Matt Barrows picked Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell at No. 27. The Aggies star had 25 sacks and 33 tackles for a loss over the past three seasons. He isn't the cleanest prospect, but he would be a quality Day 1 contributor who can develop on the 49ers alongside Williams and Bosa.

The 49ers did a lot of pre-draft work on 250-pound edge rushers who can drop into coverage, a type of player they don’t have on the current roster. That fits Howell to a tee — he had 11 sacks in the SEC last year and seemed comfortable when asked to help out with coverage. Howell could serve as an edge rusher in the team’s “turbo” pass-rush package as well as a fifth defensive lineman, an alignment the team plans to use more heavily under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.

There were other players many have connected to the 49ers left on the board (like Utah tackle Caleb Lomu, UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence and receiver Denzel Boston) but, as Barrows explained, Howell fits a specific role in the defense that the 49ers need if they want to compete in the NFC West again.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers stay at No. 27, take an edge rusher in 2026 draft