Rylie Mills Details Rookie Injury, Veteran Mentors as His Role Grows on Seahawks' D-Line

Seahawks defensive lineman Rylie Mills has become a bigger part of Seattle's line rotation than anyone expected when the team took a chance on an injured Notre Dame prospect in 2025, and Mills spent time this week on 93.3 KJR explaining how he got there.

Mills joined The Ian Furness Show at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, and his rise was also a topic on The Gregg Bell Show, where hosts recapped his path from a day three pick recovering from injury to a lineman getting first-quarter, first-drive snaps in Seattle's 2026 season opener.

Mills was drafted out of Notre Dame on day three of the 2025 draft while still working back from an injury. On The Gregg Bell Show, it was recalled that general manager John Schneider praised Mills on the spot, saying he could have gone on day one or day two had he been healthy. Ian Furness put it bluntly on air: the Seahawks "got a steal" with Mills, who Furness now considers effectively the team's fifth or sixth defensive lineman after limited snaps late in the 2025 season, a Super Bowl appearance, and an expanded role to open 2026.

The Injury and the Long Road Back

Mills told Furness the initial diagnosis before the 2025 draft hit him hard. "Obviously initially getting the news, it's probably worst case scenario," Mills said. "It definitely, like, it crushes you a bit when you first heard it. Like, it was a shock for me." He did not get back on the field until December, roughly eight months after the injury.

Looking back, Mills said the setback reshaped him. "The more I've kind of gotten, like, distance between that happening, I kind of feel like it's the best thing that could have happened for me," he said, calling the whole stretch "a blessing in disguise" that sharpened his focus once he returned.

Mills also brought up an unusual detail from a Hard Knocks episode his mother sent him, featuring a sledgehammer competition among teammates. He said he had no doubt he would win it, since his knee rehab had limited him to shoulder-focused work for about eight months. "At least I didn't pick right knee extensions or something," he joked.

Learning From Reed and Williams

Mills credited veteran defensive linemen Jarran Reed and Leonard Williams with helping him translate his size into technique suited for the NFL. He said working alongside Williams, who is closer to his own height and build, has taught him how to use length and positioning rather than the physical mismatches that worked for him in college.

Reed, nicknamed "Big Slime" by teammates, drew some of Mills' warmest praise. "He might be the funniest guy on the team," Mills said, adding that Reed sets the tone with pregame speeches the rest of the line room feeds off of.

Facing Familiar Faces

Mills discussed running into former Notre Dame teammates now playing elsewhere in the league, including running back Jadarian Price, whose 13-yard carry against Seattle drew praise from Mills as a sign of what is ahead for him. Mills was also looking forward to facing cornerback Julian Love, a matchup on the schedule that weekend.

Asked about his favorite opponent, Mills did not hesitate: the New England Patriots currently top his list. He also described the environment at Lumen Field as among the most intense he has experienced, ranking it second only to the Super Bowl and comparing the energy to a college gameday.

Mills is still early in his NFL career, but the arc so far tells a clear story. A prospect whose draft slide was purely medical has turned into a rotation piece the coaching staff trusts in meaningful moments, and the mentorship from Reed and Williams appears to be accelerating that development rather than just supplementing it.

More Info

• Podcast: The Ian Furness Show: Rylie Mills on learning from Jarran Reed and Leonard Williams, ex-teammates Jaydon Blue and Julian Love, and the Lumen Field atmosphere | The Ian Furness Show (93.3 KJR)