Grading Lions’ Round 6 pick Skyler Gill-Howard

Texas Tech's Skyler Gill-Howard celebrates a sack against Arkansas-Pine Bluff during a non-conference football game, Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To finish up the sixth round at pick 205, the Detroit Lions selected defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard from Texas Tech. After dipping into the offensive side of the football, Lions general manager Brad Holmes moved back to the defensive side. In typical Holmes fashion, he drafted a player who’s coming off an injury.

Gill-Howard suffered an ankle injury in 2025 and missed the rest of the season after playing in six games. He had surgery back in October, so he should be good to go for training camp. Was the classic Holmes move of taking an injured player the right move this time, or should Detroit have looked elsewhere for a defensive tackle?

Roster impact

Looking at the defensive tackle position, the Lions don’t know what they have behind starters Alim McNeill and Tyliek Williams. Defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike can play on the interior or the edge, so where the team slides him in could impact the chances of Gill-Howard making the roster. If Onwuzurike stays on the interior, Gill-Howard will compete with Mekhi Wingo for the DT 4 spot, but if Onwuzurike moves to the outside, Gill-Howard can make this team, barring a horrible training camp.

College career

Gill-Howard has had a journey around the country playing college football. He started as a linebacker at Upper Iowa, playing in four games in 2021, getting three tackles. He walked on to NIU in 2022 and made his debut in 2023, sticking with the Huskies for two seasons before transferring one more time to Texas Tech in 2025. In his career, Gill-Howard has 91 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and a 55-yard pick-six.