NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Texas Tech DL Skyler Gill-Howard

Matt HolderApr 16, 2026

Skyler Gill-Howard has a Disney movie-like story that will help win over the fanbase of the team that drafts him, going from being a Division II player out of high school to an NFL draft prospect. On the field, his combination of quickness and athleticism gives him a chance to carve out a career in the league.

Gill-Howard's college career began at Upper Iowa, where he was listed as a 240-pound linebacker. However, he left after one year and was working at FedEx before walking on at Northern Illinois, moving to the defensive line and putting on about 45 pounds.

The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native redshirted and played two seasons for the Huskies, collecting 75 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks in 25 games, earning third-team All-MAC honors in 2024.

Gill-Howard transferred to Texas Tech for the 2025 campaign, and recorded 13 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, half a sack and a pick-six before ankle injury ended his season after just six games. He had surgery to repair the injured ankle and didn't participate in any of the drills that the NFL combine, except for the bench press.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Where He Wins

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 20 Texas Tech at Utah

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- Gill-Howard is a good overall athlete who has impressive quickness and change of direction skills to beat offensive linemen across their faces.

- Good get-off, quick to react to the snap and has good acceleration off the line of scrimmage.

- As a pass-rusher, he sets up his moves well by stemming or getting to square on the offensive lineman to get a two-way go and then using his head/shoulder fakes to get linemen to stop their feet.

- Active hands when rushing the passer, and has flashed solid swim and hump moves that he can win with. Also uses both moves to defeat/escape blocks in the run game.

- Good pass-rush motor to get coverage sacks.

- Against the run, he has natural leverage and takes on blocks with a wide base to hold ground one-on-one versus solid competition.

- When unblocked, he works flat down the line of scrimmage and has the movement skills to make tackles for short gains on the backside of zone runs and against screens.

Areas of Improvement

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- Gill-Howard lacks NFL length, owning a sawed-off frame and short arms.

- While Gill-Howard has natural leverage, he's not a knee bender which causes him issues holding his gap as a run defender against offensive linemen who play good leverage and combo blocks.

- Struggles to sink his hips and anchor when slanting puts him out of position, leading to him getting washed out of the play.

- Block recognition is a little slow, resulting in him getting reached or scooped on the backside of runs.

- Has wide hand placement as a run defender, which, combined with short arms, exposes his chest and limits how much extension he can get on blocks.

- Accuracy and timing with his hands as a pass-rusher is a work in progress.

- Minimal experience against Power 4 competition after missing most of this past season.