Lions Rookie Out-Snapped a First-Round Pick

The Detroit Lions drafted defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard in the sixth round (205th overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Texas Tech. One of the things general manager Brad Holmes has been very good at is drafting and developing players.

Gill-Howard played a significant role in the Lions’ 31-30 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. He recorded three tackles and played 47 snaps for Detroit. Gill-Howard will be more of a force on passing downs than on run downs. He is just 23 years old and could become something bigger during his rookie season.

Mike Payton of A to Z Sports covers the Lions. He wrote about why Gill-Howard being on the field so often in the first week of the season was a big deal. Payton said,

“Gill-Howard played 47 snaps against the Saints. That’s a lot. For context, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, the Lions’ first-round draft pick last year, played 35. Now, that’s not because Williams is a bad player. If that’s your thought, that’s not it. The game shifted at a certain point. Williams came out and did his job early, making sure New Orleans couldn’t get the ground game going. Then the game turned into a pass-rush situation, and that’s where Gill-Howard is just a better fit.

Gill-Howard played 31 pass rush snaps and just 11 run snaps. The run game is supposed to be the area the Lions want him to improve, but he actually played fairly well there. Pro Football Focus gave him a 76.8 run defense grade, which is pretty good. Williams was better in that department, sure, but pass rush isn’t necessarily Williams’ game either. Williams did get the most important pressure of the entire game, though. Go back and look at that 2-point conversion attempt by the Saints. That play goes wrong because of Tyleik Williams. He gets the pressure and forces Tyler Shough into a pump fake and an off-kilter throw. The Lions win that game because of it.”

“Gill-Howard played 47 snaps against the Saints. That’s a lot. For context, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, the Lions’ first-round draft pick last year, played 35. Now, that’s not because Williams is a bad player. If that’s your thought, that’s not it. The game shifted at a certain point. Williams came out and did his job early, making sure New Orleans couldn’t get the ground game going. Then the game turned into a pass-rush situation, and that’s where Gill-Howard is just a better fit.

Gill-Howard played 31 pass rush snaps and just 11 run snaps. The run game is supposed to be the area the Lions want him to improve, but he actually played fairly well there. Pro Football Focus gave him a 76.8 run defense grade, which is pretty good. Williams was better in that department, sure, but pass rush isn’t necessarily Williams’ game either. Williams did get the most important pressure of the entire game, though. Go back and look at that 2-point conversion attempt by the Saints. That play goes wrong because of Tyleik Williams. He gets the pressure and forces Tyler Shough into a pump fake and an off-kilter throw. The Lions win that game because of it.”

It will be interesting to see how many snaps he gets in Week 2 on the road against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night. Josh Allen threw the ball 29 times in Week 1 against the Houston Texans.

Not only did Gill-Howard play well on defense, he was also on the field for five special teams snaps. Seeing the field on defense and on special teams is a good sign for a rookie this early.

Gill-Howard was not listed as a starter on the Lions’ defensive line. He is a rotational player for Detroit, but playing 47 snaps feels like more than a rotational role on this football team.