Greenfield native Skyler Gill-Howard waited through much of Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft before the Detroit Lions selected him in the sixth round, fulfilling a dream that was anything but easy.
"When I didn't get to call on Day 2. I was like, 'okay, whatever happens was meant to happen,'" Gill-Howard said.
The wait was longer than Gill-Howard expected, but he said it reflected the road that got him there.
"The injury, where I ended up in the draft – none of that is going to be worse than what I've been through throughout my entire life, so just keeping faith in God and realizing that something is coming. He always has a plan," Gill-Howard explained.
Gill-Howard's faith was first planted on the North Side of Milwaukee, where he lived with his mother.
Watch: How Skyler Gill-Howard overcame loss, setbacks and doubt to reach the Detroit Lions
"As I was growing up, it was rough. You know, you're growing up around all the gang violence, guns, drugs – all that – and most kids just sink into it," Gill-Howard shared.
At 10 years old, he made a life-changing call to his father, Rachaad Howard.
"(Skyler) called me. He was like I want to come stay with you. I was like, 'cool.' Went and did the proper things to get it done, and enrolled him in Greenfield Middle School," Howard recalled.
The move to the suburbs was not an easy transition, but it opened the door to football and a path he had to forge himself.
"Not getting any D1 or D2 offers really kind of fueled him to do more," Rachaad Howard stated.
His college journey started in Division II at Upper Iowa, before transferring to a Group of Five program at Northern Illinois, and he spent his final year at Texas Tech, firmly putting his name on the map.
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Gill-Howard was one of the top players in the country before an ankle injury ended his season, but he knew God had a plan.
"I look at my phone. I see a Michigan number, and I look at my guys, and I'm like no way," Gill-Howard recalled.
The moment carried a deeper meaning, fulfilling a promise to his late younger brother, Prestin Gill-Pate, who was killed by gun violence.
"I've used that as a building block to just stay motivated because I promised him before all that happened that I'll be in this position today," Gill-Howard said.
No matter how far football takes him, Gill-Howard said home will always be the center of his story.
"I drove around (the North Side) before I left – just to take it all in – and you see young kids that were my age falling into it, and I'm trying to be the inspiration and show them you don't have to do that," Gill-Howard said.
Watching his son's football journey play out taught his father a valuable lesson.
"Just anything is possible as long as you keep going at it. He never gave up in any of the situations on his journey—and here we are," Howard smiled.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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