Good prospect, confusing pick?
Rylie Mills knows how to rush the passer, but how long will it take for him to earn role with Seahawks?
If Notre Dame has always been a program that any football player would be stoked to join, then 1993 was the year when Notre Dame turned into the college that made us believe that every high school recruit wanted to go there.
In 2020, Rudy Rylie Mills was a four-star recruit out of Lake Forest, Illinois, and one of the lucky ones who got an offer from Notre Dame and wouldn’t have to walk-on for a cup of coffee at the end of his career to prove himself. Five years and 15 sacks later, Mills was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round, a decision that apparently made defensive coordinator Aden Durde so happy because he wouldn’t have to quit his job if they passed on him again (jokingly).
“I’m not sure AD would have showed up for work (if we didn’t draft Mills)”, joked Schneider.
Schneider also said that the Seahawks expect Mills to be back sometime in the second half of the season, roughly one year after he tore his ACL in a playoff win over Indiana.
That injury is the most obvious reason for why we shouldn’t expect to see much of Mills on the field this year, and in situations like these it can be easy to forget that the player is even on the team. Mills could end up as the latest version of recent fifth round picks Tyreke Smith and Mike Morris.
But there’s also the question of how long it could take for Mills to unseat any of Seattle’s highly-paid, highly-drafted, or highly-respected defensive linemen: Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy II.
As covered in the latest excellent Seahawks breakdown video posted by Legion of 12s on YouTube, it’s not so much that Rylie Mills lacks talent to rush the passer, it’s that he’s a one-dimensional player who struggles against the run and excels in obvious passing down situations. Plays in which you would assume that the last thing that Mike Macdonald wants to do is take Williams, Murphy, or Reed off of the field.
Rather than have me give you the information second hand and second rate, I recommend watching the 12 minute, 46 second video yourself. It’s not that Mills makes no sense on the Seahawks, and we can’t predict what the defensive line depth chart will look like in 2026 or 2027, but more that Mills may not fill a role in the near future and that Seattle could have used that selection on a prospect who might have, such as a nose tackle.
A few notes from the video:
One of the most productive pass rushers in the country last season in terms of sacks (6.5) and pressures/pass rush win rate (top-10 both categories)
Refined hand usage and technique for a college player
Fantastic get-off
Freak athleticism (Was on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List”)
Extremely quick when moving laterally
Can win with power because of his quick get-off
Is a “beast on stunts”
Negatives: Bull rush is mid, lacking strength at 290 lbs, can’t anchor against the run, short arms, ACL injury
While it’s fine to believe that maybe something could be done about Mills’ struggles against the run, Legion of 12s thinks that is unlikely because the more you ask him to bulk up to stop the run, the less athletic and dominant he will be as a pass rusher.
This is how a player like Rylie Mills falls to the fifth round despite his athleticism and ability to rush the passer, not just because of a serious knee injury but also due to the fact that as a balancing act he leans so heavily in one direction that coaches don’t want to end up negating his ONE NFL-level superpower.
It’s better to have one NFL-level club in your bag than to accidentally drop it as you’re reaching for a second.
If Mills was drafted by the Seahawks in a different era, potentially also if he had gone to a different school and played in a different scheme and suffered no injuries, maybe he could be one of those first-year standouts like how Braden Fiske nearly won Defensive Rookie of the Year with the Rams in 2024.
But as it stands today, Mills will stay on the injury report for at least the next five months, potentially sitting out his entire rookie season, and then he could find out that he’s buried on the depth chart when the time comes to finally activate him.
The Seahawks have the three aforementioned starters, all of whom are expected to retain their jobs through at least 2026, and Macdonald holds out hope for Morris, Brandon Pili, and three undrafted free agents: J.R. Singleton, Bubba Thomas, and Anthony Campbell. Seattle re-signed Johnathan Hankins for that nose tackle role after not drafting anybody, and they still have Quinton Bohanna as well.
Most of those names after the top-3 are no big deals. We know that. But as Mills rehabs his knee, players like Singleton and Campbell (who was signed by the Seahawks on Thursday) will be practicing and fighting to prove that they belong just as much as he does, and if they know what’s good for them they’ll also be watching Rudy on repeat.
Because as a Fighting Irish alum himself, Mills knows one thing:
“Having dreams is what makes life tolerable.”
And it could be Mills saying this:
Seaside Joe 2279
11 picks with it hard for every rookie to make the team. I don’t see it as a wasted pick but one of those red shirt sit seasons. And by going on IR, that allows for the 53rd player to be rotated. Hopefully it works out but a lost 5th isn’t costly. Turns into a fantastic rusher, then we have another RS or Kam. He was a depth with occasional rusher to spell the big 3 anyway.
Rotation player in the 5th? Sure! Especially, if he can create some impact plays in 3rd down pass rush.
Now, would I have rather had a NT? If he was also a rotation player who can impact run defense on 1st or 2nd down, possibly. But, I won't be upset with spending a 5th on whomever they liked best.