Former Arkansas offensive lineman Dan Skipper has been somewhat of an NFL journeyman since leaving Fayetteville in 2016, making stops in Denver, Dallas, New England, Houston, Las Vegas, and Detroit.
The Arvada, Colorado, native was an immediate contributor when he arrived at Arkansas in 2013, playing in all 12 games and starting eight, but it took a little longer to get his foot in the door in the NFL.
On Sunday, Skipper made his first career NFL start with the Detroit Lions.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell sent Skipper up to the podium first following the Lions' win over the Washington Commanders.
“It’s my sixth year in the league, and I’ve never made a team,” Skipper said. “It’s tough. You go in, and you’re never quite good enough. You’re not quite enough. You show up every day and you think you’re doing the right things and just for whatever reason, it just doesn’t quite work out. I think I’ve had 20 NFL contracts. They’re not worth the paper they’re written on.”
Skipper helped the Lions to a 36-27 win, where the they rushed for 191 yards, including this 58-yard run that highlighted what a Sam Pittman-coached offensive lineman should look like.
In the start on Sunday, Skipper played left guard, which is not where he played at Arkansas. He earned a 66.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, and a 70.4 run blocking grade, which was second best of all Detroit offensive linemen on Sunday.
At 6-foot-9-inches, he found himself playing left tackle and on field goal defense.
That field goal defense directly led to an Arkansas win against TCU on Sept. 10, 2016. After a back-and-forth game between the Hogs and Horned Frogs, TCU kicker Ryan Graf set up for a game-winning field goal with just under ten seconds left in regulation.
Skipper blocked the kick, sending the game into overtime. In the second overtime, he helped push quarterback Austin Allen across the goal line to seal the win.
Skipper is one of three Razorbacks on the Detroit Roster, joining fellow offensive lineman Frank Ragnow and defensive back Jerry Jacobs.
