5 Must-Know Things About Detroit Lions DT Skyler Gill-Howard

The Detroit Lions moved into day three with a clear need for defense, and Brad Holmes continued that trend as the sixth round wrapped up.

The Lions moved onto the next item on their need list, selecting a defensive tackle. They took Skyler Gill-Howard from Texas Tech.

Here are five things to know about the latest Detroit Lion in the defensive tackle room.

Wrestling background

Skyler Gill-Howard was a multi-sport athlete in high school, earning state runner-up honors in each of his final two seasons at Greenfield (Wi.) High School. Despite how good he was at it, the defensive lineman was not the biggest fan of the sport, as revealed at the combine.

“Wrestling teaches leverage, especially for a shorter guy like me,” Gill-Howard said. “I learned how to move around guys from a young age and it’s helped me throughout my career. Also, it teaches you resiliency because wrestling is one of the hardest sports you are going to have to work for. Those workouts I used to go through in high school, man. I tell people all the time I hated wrestling, I did it because I was good at it and because it would help me at football. It teaches you resiliency, and just grit.”

Ideal leadership quality

During Gill-Howard’s career, the lineman earned captaincy at both his high school and Northern Illinois. In his lone season at Texas Tech, he did not earn captaincy, but was praised for leadership skills and studied leadership in Lubbock.

In high school, the defensive tackle was a captain from his sophomore season on. While most players were worried about seeing the field as a sophomore, Gill-Howard earned the respect of his teammates and coaches to be a team captain.

His family loves Motown

During his post-draft zoom meeting with local Detroit media, Gill-Howard had on an older Detroit Lions hat. The prospect was wearing his grandfather’s Lions hat, as he cheered for the Motor City.

Even Gill-Howard cited the uniqueness of the situation, as the Wisconsin native did not cheer for the Packers, but their bitter NFC North rival. It is safe to say that the rest of the 2024 All-MAC selection’s family will all cheer for Detroit now.

FedEx worker to the NFL

Gill-Howard had a unique journey to the league. After his career at Greenfield High School wrapped up, he went to Upper Iowa University. He earned a walk-on offer to Northern Illinois, but needed to make ends meet.

The defensive lineman worked for FedEx during the offseason, and did so for the three semesters before he earned a scholarship. He spoke on the journey at the NFL Combine, with it being a testament to his work ethic.

Playing for his brother

Gill-Howard comes from a rough part of the Milwaukee suburbs. That has led the defensive tackle to watch out for his family, and his “big brother” energy is part of the leadership that has earned him captaincies during his football career.

The lineman lost a brother to murder in 2022, and it took the lineman a few years to get over the loss. He revealed it had him in a dark place, and he really started getting out of that spot before his breakout 2024 campaign with the Huskies.

His past has led Gill-Howard to appreciate the moment, and he commented that he was thankful to just be at the Combine. He was frank, saying that he did not know if he would be drafted, and he had to accept that. Now, the athlete is officially in Motown as a drafted athlete.

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