In the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Lions went back to the trenches with Skyler Gill-Howard out of Texas Tech.
Here is the Skyler Gill-Howard medical report:
Medical concern level ranges from 0 (no concern) to 5 (might be worth the risk if the reward is high) to 10 (take him off your board, Brad).
(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season and are factored into the concern level. Injury info and ages based on available public information and are unverified – subject to update. Games played data courtesy of sports-reference.com.)
6th Round, No. 205: Skyler Gill-Howard, DT (23) – Texas Tech
Medical Concern Level 4/10
Gill-Howard has the highest medical concern level of all the Lions’ picks, mainly due to the lack of proven game recovery following his ankle surgery. However, there were reports that he had a chance to return late in the season, which suggests the injury wasn’t too major.
If the leg-whip mechanism of the ankle injury is correct, something like a fibula fracture is possible. That’s the injury and mechanism we saw last season with Christian Mahogany, who was able to return in seven weeks. See Mahogany’s injury video below:
Another possible explanation is a tightrope surgery for a high ankle sprain, which can have a return-to-play within a few weeks.
Neither an isolated fibula fracture nor a straightforward high-ankle sprain are significant long-term concerns. His slightly older age ticks the concern level up a notch, but isn’t a major deal for a late-rounder.
Gill-Howard finished his Division I career with 6.5 sacks and one spectacular interception across stops at Northern Illinois and Texas Tech.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions DT Skyler Gill-Howard: Injury history, concern level
Reporting by Jimmy Liao, MD, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
