Levi Onwuzurike is on thin ice headed into Detroit Lions training camp.
The former 2nd round pick has struggled to remain on the field due to lingering knee injuries, and hasn't played a full season since 2024. While there was some hype around his ability to add to the Lions' run-stopping in 2025, he missed the entire season after needing additional work on his injured knee.
That could explain why the Lions leaned into adding some defensive line depth in this year's draft, specifically with their selection of Skyler Gill-Howard in the 6th round. The Texas Tech product is coming on for the Lions from an elite Red Raiders defense in 2025, and the team is likely hoping that some of that rubbed off on the tackle as we head into training camp.
They might need it to, as Gill-Howard has an opportunity to compete for, and win, the starting right tackle job from Onwuzurike.
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Gill-Howard was projected by NFL.com to be a practice squad candidate ahead of the draft, with Lance Zierlein writing about the tackle:
"Gill-Howard is an undersized one-gapper using suddenness and leverage to elude the clenches of bigger players. He plays with a non-stop motor and palpable sense of urgency, creating wins off the snap against the run and pass. He gives blockers no reps off. His secondary effort and block counters keeps him in the play longer. Gill-Howard lacks functional size and length, which will make him both scheme- and matchup-dependent as a pro. He needs to major in disruption and chaos to find a long-term home as a rotational, upfield tackle."
While with Northern Illinois in 2024, Gill-Howard had the best season of his collegiate career - five sacks, 51 combined tackles, and eight tackles for loss. He also played in 12 games that season compared to just six in his final year with Texas Tech, which was due to a lower leg injury that required surgery.
As of now, the only competition for Onwuzurike is Gill-Howard, veteran Jay Tufele, and Chris Smith. Realistically, Tufele does not project as more than a backup at this spot - same for Smith. That leaves Gill-Howard in direct competition with Onwuzurike, especially if he looks anything like he did in that 2024 season.
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This is the year of experimentation for Detroit. They've tried to lean on a top-heavy roster for a few seasons now, and thanks to injuries across the board, all that's gotten them are multiple seasons where they've sputtered to the finish line. Last year, they didn't even make it to the end before missing out on the postseason entirely.
That's why it's important for Gill-Howard to lock in during training camp, especially as Onwuzurike has yet to prove that he can remain healthy for a full season while also consistently producing as a run stopper.
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