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.
In 2024, Gill-Howard was on PFF’s All-MAC second team, and he was on the All-MAC third team. In 2025, he was on Phil Steele’s All-Big 12 third team.
Strengths and weaknesses
Gill-Howard is a balanced defensive tackle who can stop the run and get to the quarterback. According to PFF, he averaged a 77 run defense grade in his career and a 78 pass rush grade. While his run defense has been up and down overall, his pass-rushing skills have improved year after year, finishing with 54 pressures. He can be quick off the snap and get by blockers in a flash to the backfield.
The biggest weakness is his short arms. I can’t discount him for that, though, because we’ve heard that for players like Aidan Hutchinson and Rueben Bain Jr., but they were both first-round picks. It might be different on the interior defensive line, but how he bounces back from his ankle injury will be massive. If he can be the same player he was, he’s got a shot to make the roster, but if he can’t rebound well, his chances of making the roster are slim.
Overall
Overall, I respect the position that was picked, and taking a flyer on an injured player this late isn’t a bad idea. What I will knock on this pick is that it wasn’t a higher need on this team. The Lions still have question marks at tight end, running back, linebacker, and you could argue safety and EDGE. A defensive tackle was lower on my needs list, but at least it’s something that can help this defensive line generate more pressure.
If Gill-Howard can make the team, he will be a stout run defender who could be a sneaky pass rusher. If it doesn’t work out, it was a low-risk pick that didn’t hinder the team in the end.
Grade: C+
