ALLEN PARK — The Lions wrapped up the 2026 NFL draft by selecting a pair of defensive tackles — Skyler Gill-Howard in the sixth round (205th) and Tyre West in the seventh (222nd) on Saturday.
GM Brad Holmes said he likes their ability to apply pressure as sub-rushers.
Gill-Howard, 6-8 and 280 pounds, played at Texas Tech his senior year after starting collegiate career at Northern Illinois. In 2025 he started the first six games (13 tackles, 2.5 TFLs with 0.5 sacks, INT-returned for TD, PBU) and then missed the second half of the year with an ankle injury. In his junior year at Northern Illinois he played in a dozen games with one start.
He has only played on the defensive line since 2022.
“I feel like I’m a great player with no ceiling, meaning that I can improve each and every year in whatever aspect I need to. I feel I can go out and make an impact immediately or do what the team needs me to do, it doesn’t matter. There’s still a long way to go.’’
The Lions hat he was wearing during a Zoom call came from his grandfather who is a big Lions fan and was wearing it at the draft party. It was the only hate in the room. “It was meant to be,’’ Gill-Howard said.
“Gill-Howard is a relentless defensive lineman who has climbed from the Division II level to a starting role in the Big 12,’’ per CBS Sports analysis. “Despite being undersized for the interior, he plays with incredible energy and leverages his wrestling background to overpower larger blockers.’’
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein said: “He needs to major in disruption and chaos to find a long-term home as a rotational, upfield tackle.’’
In the seventh round, the Lions drafted Tyre West, who started just five games in four seasons at Tennessee.
Zierlein wrote: “West’s snap and start counts are unusually low for a draftable prospect. He has the bone thickness of an interior defender, but a chunk of his collegiate reps came at 5-technique and even-front defensive end. He’s a solid athlete with good quickness but below-average hand usage. He appears capable of sinking and anchoring but will be tested against interior double teams on the next level. West’s ability to pressure the pocket could earn him an opportunity at the next level.’’
Lions Lowdown 