The Detroit Lions have added more support along their defensive front with the selection of Texas Tech defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard in the sixth round of Saturday's NFL Draft as the 205th overall selection.
A former Division II walk-on who went from scout-team linebacker to team captain and defensive tackle at Northern Illinois before being a top transfer portal target last offseason signing with the Red Raiders.
"Yeah, so when I transferred from my D-II school in Upper Iowa, NIU only offered me as a D-tackle, and that was the only FBS offer that I had so I decided to make the switch in 2022. I've only been playing D-lineman since 2022," Gill-Howard said after Detroit drafted him Saturday.
"I feel like I am a great player with no ceiling, meaning that I can improve each and every year in whatever aspect that I need to. I think that I can go out there and make an impact immediately or do what the team needs me to do, it doesn't matter, but there's still a long way to go. But I feel like as I've been playing for about four, three years now, I came a long way as a D-lineman."
He added more than 50 pounds in four months in 2022 to make the transition from linebacker to defensive line, per The Athletic. The added weight didn't zap his athleticism as he plays with a twitch and gets off the ball very well. He's got a terrific first step for an interior defender.
He's a bit undersized at 6-foot, 280 pounds but what he lacks in size he makes up for in athleticism and quickness. He showed some of that athleticism returning an interception 55 yards for a touchdown vs. Kent State in 2025.
"I mean, you guys have seen the wheels, but it was just a surreal moment," he said of the interception return. "A moment that every D-lineman dreams of, and when the ball got in my hands – I used to play running back growing up until – I mean, I played it all throughout high school, but I made the switch to linebacker kind of my junior season of high school. But I've been playing running back my whole life, so those instincts kicked back in and I was moving, so it was awesome."
He comes to the league with a nice tool box of pass rush moves having recorded five sacks along the interior of Northern Illinois' defensive front in 2024. An ankle injury suffered in October required surgery and prevented him from finishing his senior season in 2025. Despite the shortened season, he still logged a 90.0 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus.
The Lions return Alim McNeill, Tyleik Williams and Levi Onwuzurike as their top three interior defenders but had room to come out of this draft adding another interior defender to compete with Mekhi Wingo, Chris Smith and others inside.
Gill-Howard was the fourth starter along Texas Tech's defensive front to get drafted in this year's class.
