Detroit Lions DT Skyler Gill-Howard: Injury History & Medical Concern Level

In the 6th 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 #205: Skyler Gill-Howard, DT (23) - Texas Tech

Medical Concern Level 4/10

• 2025: 6 games. Left ankle surgery October 2025 ended season - possible “leg-whip” mechanism.
• 2024: 12/13 games. Opted out of bowl due to transfer.
• 2023: 13/13 games.

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…

An isolated fibula fracture (no sig ligament damage, high ankle sprain, other fracture) could be back in ~8wks. Chris Godwin came back this year in 7wks.

Christian Mahogany hurt 11/2. Regular season ends 1/4. So it is possible he could return depending on details of injury. https://t.co/JY94t3PSqMpic.twitter.com/xp0Sh166dq— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) November 26, 2025

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.

He finished with 6.5 sacks and one spectacular INT.

For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions DT Skyler Gill-Howard: Injury History & Medical Concern Level