Skyler Gill-Howard talks rookie season with Detroit Lions: "I belong in this league"

Every young football player has dreams of making it to the NFL, but very few see that dream become a reality. Lions sixth-round pick Skyler Gill-Howard beat those odds with a resilience and perseverance that match the city that drafted him.

"It's been awesome, you know, just being out there with the guys, being able to make an immediate impact has been awesome," said Gill-Howard. "The coaches trust me. I knew I could play in this league, and I belong in this league."

Gill-Howard has one sack and eight tackles through his first five games of his NFL career. His belief in himself never wavered.

"[It's been] a super long journey," said Gill-Howard. "My only offer out of high school was D2. I walked on to Upper Iowa University. I didn't even visit, but when I got up there, I was like, this is going to be rough. I was working my tail off, but I didn't get the opportunity. That semester was rough because you're in the middle of nowhere. The closest Walmart was an hour and 45 minutes away. Just straight isolation, so it was just me and the weight room."

With no offers coming out of the transfer portal in 2022, Gill-Howard continued to train and even picked up a job, working the early morning shift at FedEx to make ends meet – hoping for one chance.

"I was working that whole spring, and that second wave in the portal is when NIU offered me a walk-on, but the catch was I had to play D-line," said Gill-Howard.

That meant gaining about 60 pounds and learning a new position. Gill-Howard made the most of his chance, turning his time at Northern Illinois into a scholarship offer from Texas Tech, where he was a leader for the Red Raiders before an ankle injury ended his senior season early. Then came the call from the Lions in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

"It was crazy because I knew I was going to fall just because of my injury," said Gill-Howard. "So, I'm just like, whenever I get my name called, I'm going to make the most of it. When they first called, I saw the 313, I'm like, 'I don't know anybody from Michigan,' but I answered, and 'Hey, this is Brad Holmes,' and I'm like, 'Oh my God.' When you hear that, it was super exciting because it fits the type of team that I want to be a part of. My whole career has been grit, been getting it out of the mud, been working for what you think you deserve."

"For a rookie, he's very urgent," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. "You hear me say that a lot, right? Do it with urgency. He's an urgent player. He's an urgent practice player. When you tell him something, he's going to do it, and he's going to do it all out, and he's going to do it just right."

Gill-Howard has always led by example. He's the oldest of nine siblings, and this journey to the NFL is about much more than just himself. 

Four years ago, one of Gill-Howard's younger brothers, Prestin Gill, was killed by gun violence in his hometown of Milwaukee. Gill-Howard held a picture of his brother by his side on draft night.

"My main reason why I started playing this game and why I started taking it serious is because I knew I had a future in it, but I also knew that whatever my future was in it, I could help my siblings because that's been my main goal trying to get them out of that situation," said Gill-Howard. "Getting the call, it was emotional, but at the same time, I'm doing everything that we talked about. I'm doing everything that I told him I would. He's smiling up there that I'm doing everything I said I would. He's playing with me every game. He's taking care of my every game, watching over me, and I talk to him every game, just letting him know we're here."

Gill-Howard earned his spot in the NFL, and now that he's arrived, he's going to use that incredible work ethic to make sure he stays for a long time.

"I come in here knowing that nothing can be taken for granted," said Gill-Howard. "Every time I step on that field or walk into a meeting, I'm super grateful to be there because you never know when it could be done, especially in this league; people are gone every day. So, I just come in with a grateful attitude, and this is all I got, so why not give it everything I got this day, and we'll worry about tomorrow when it comes."