Skyler
Gill-Howard.
Skyler
Gill-Howard.
Texas Tech· 6'1"· 280 lb· 5.07s 40
R6 · #205 · Detroit Lions"D-II to the MAC to the best front in the country in four years — the sixth-round price was the frame and the arms, never the effort or the first step."Pre-draft read
He aligns as an interior defensive lineman, playing entirely off his first-step quickness and leverage. His initial get-off allows him to beat offensive linemen to the punch and penetrate the B-gap. He employs a hard swipe to clear hands, a club-rip, and a push-pull move, effectively rocking blockers backward before yanking them past him, leveraging his raw power.
Against the run, he is effective when he wins the block quickly, creating tackles for loss. However, when combination blocks engage him, he struggles to anchor. He gets displaced and washed out of the play due to a lack of mass and length, which limits his ability to hold ground against double teams.
One-gap 4-3 penetrating front that prioritizes generating interior pressure and disrupting opponents' timing and rhythm.
Rotational interior pass rusher in year one with the ceiling to develop into a starting three-technique as he adds functional mass.
A two-gap 3-4 scheme where he would be asked to consistently anchor double teams due to his undersized build and lack of length.
His explosive get-off and short-area quickness make him an attractive option for schemes that value interior pressure, provided he can mitigate his size limitations against the run.
Skyler Gill-Howard Texas Tech Highlights
Game film cut-up of Skyler Gill-Howard's Texas Tech tape.
Skyler Gill-Howard 2025 Regular Season Highlights | Big 12 Football
Game film cut-up of Skyler Gill-Howard's Texas Tech tape.
Skyler Gill-Howard vs Kent State 2025 Highlights | Texas Tech Red Raiders
Game film cut-up of Skyler Gill-Howard's Texas Tech tape.
Skyler Gill-Howard projects as an undersized, penetrating three-technique whose primary value lies in his explosive pass-rushing ability from the interior. Teams are buying his exceptional first-step quickness (a 1.80 ten-yard split at 280 pounds) and functional strength as a disruptor, but the plan requires a specific sub-package role due to his size limitations.
His collegiate career involved a four-year climb through different levels of competition. He was a rotational player at Northern Illinois for 13 games in 2023, then broke out in 2024 with 51 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks over 12 games, earning third-team All-MAC honors. In 2025, he transferred to Texas Tech, a top-ranked defense, where he played a reduced role, recording 13 tackles and 0.5 sacks in five games, providing limited exposure at the Power Four level.
Evaluators noted his impressive movement skills and strength testing in contrast to his notably undersized frame and short arm length for the position. While his get-off and motor were highly valued, concerns about his ability to anchor against double teams and his age as a 23-year-old rookie were prevalent. He was largely seen as a developmental sub-package rusher, with the Lions selecting him in the sixth round, 205th overall.
- 01
Get-off
his exceptional 1.80 ten-yard split at 280 pounds allows him to consistently beat a guard's initial hand placement on obvious passing downs.
- 02
Raw functional power
27 bench reps translate directly to a strong push-pull and bull rush, enabling him to move guards off their spots through pure power.
- 03
Natural low pad level
his shorter stature (6'0⅝") inherently keeps him under offensive linemen's chest plates, leading to reps where he drives blockers upright.
- 04
MAC peak production
in 2024 at Northern Illinois, he recorded 51 tackles, 8.0 TFL, and 5.0 sacks in 12 games, strong numbers that led to a Power Four transfer opportunity.
- 05
Vetted at top competition
spending 2025 within Texas Tech's defensive front, the nation's leader in havoc rate, provided high-level practice reps against elite interior offensive linemen.
- 01
Undersized frame
at 6'0⅝" with 30¾" arms, he lacks the typical length and bulk for an NFL three-technique, allowing blockers to reach his frame first.
- 02
Inability to anchor vs. doubles
he struggles significantly against combo blocks, losing ground and creating running lanes, which limits him to sub-package roles.
- 03
Limited high-level production
his 2025 season at Texas Tech only saw him record defensive statistics in five games, providing a small sample against Power Four competition.
- 04
Production tied to lower competition
his breakout 5.0-sack season occurred in the MAC, with his statistical output declining when he faced tougher competition.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.07sp50
- Vertical
- 30.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 108inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- 4.73sp50
- Bench
- 27repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Northern Illinois | 13 | 21 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | Northern Illinois | 12 | 48 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Texas Tech | 5 | 13 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | — | 30 | 82 | 5.5 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- 2024 Third-team All-MAC
- 2024 team-leading 8.0 tackles for loss at Northern Illinois
- 2025 defensive touchdown for Texas Tech
- 2026 NFL Draft: sixth round, 205th overall
Undersized penetrating tackle used as a designated interior rusher on passing downs, valuable in a rotation and off the field on short yardage.
Small-school interior lineman who kept adding functional strength until he became a full-time starter — the outcome the get-off and the bench number make imaginable.
Developmental interior body who never solves the anchor problem and bounces between practice squads.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Detroit has spent years collecting exactly this player: an undersized, explosive interior rusher with a small-school origin story and a bench-press number that suggests the strength floor is already professional. The 205th pick was a bet on the get-off translating in a rotation that already had established starters ahead of him, with the developmental path running through added mass and a defined role as a designated pass rusher on third down rather than a base-defense job.
The honest projection is narrow. He is a good athlete for 280 pounds and a bad size for the position, and the NFL solves undersized interior linemen the same way college did in his final year — with a double team and a run right at him. If the Lions find another ten pounds without costing him the first step, the sub-package role is real. If they do not, this is a practice-squad career built on effort.