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Lions pick Texas Tech DT Skyler Gill-Howard in Round 6 of NFL draft
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- Lions pick Texas Tech DT Skyler Gill-Howard in Round 6 of NFL draft
The Detroit Lions selected Texas Tech defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard with the 205th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday.
Gill-Howard started his career at Northern Illinois before making the move to Texas Tech, playing for a Red Raiders squad that made the College Football Playoff.
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Gill-Howard appeared in just six games last season, making 13 tackles, 2½ tackles for loss and half a sack.
"Gill-Howard is an undersized one-gapper using suddenness and leverage to elude the clenches of bigger players," NFL analyst Lance Zierlein said in his breakdown. "He plays with a non-stop motor and palpable sense of urgency, creating wins off the snap against the run and pass. He gives blockers no reps off. His secondary effort and block counters keeps him in the play longer. Gill-Howard lacks functional size and length, which will make him both scheme- and matchup-dependent as a pro. He needs to major in disruption and chaos to find a long-term home as a rotational, upfield tackle.
The Lions addressed their greatest needs during the first two days of the draft, selecting Clemson offensive tackle Blake Mille r in the first round and Michigan edge defender Derrick Moore in the second.
On Day 3, the Lions started off by picking Jimmy Rolder, a second straight Wolverine, then picked Arizona State CB Keith Abney II and Kentucky WR Kendrick Law in the fifth round.
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Detroit is set to make two more picks this afternoon: one more in Round 6 and another in Round 7.
Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions pick Texas Tech DT Skyler Gill-Howard in Round 6 of NFL draft
