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Seahawks’ Young DL Tabbed for Breakout After Strong Training Camp
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Rylie Mills #98 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates a sack against the New England Patriots during the second quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Getty
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots is sacked by Rylie Mills #98 of the Seattle Seahawks as Jared Wilson #58 of the New England Patriots tries to block during the second quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Getty
Seattle Seahawks' defensive end #98 Rylie Mills cheers during Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP via Getty Images) Getty
The Seattle Seahawks had no shortage of young players make an impact during their Super Bowl run last season.
One member of the 2025 draft class, however, may only be getting started.
Fox Sports analyst Rob Rang picked Seattle defensive lineman Rylie Mills as the Seahawks’ second-year breakout candidate entering 2026, attaching a fairly specific benchmark to the former fifth-round pick.
Rang wrote that 30 tackles and five sacks are “realistic goals” for Mills this season. That would represent a noteworthy leap after Mills spent most of his rookie year recovering from a torn ACL suffered at Notre Dame.
It would also give head coach Mike Macdonald another movable part for a defensive front that helped Seattle finish the 2025 season with a championship.
Mills’ Super Bowl Flash Set Up Year 2 Buzz
Getty SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots is sacked by Rylie Mills #98 of the Seattle Seahawks as Jared Wilson #58 of the New England Patriots tries to block during the second quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Mills arrived in Seattle with more college production than his draft slot might suggest.
He finished his college career with 17 sacks, tying for ninth in school history. He posted 7.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss during his final season before the ACL injury.
The Seahawks selected him No. 142 overall in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but his rookie season effectively started in December.
He opened the year on the non-football injury list and was activated Dec. 13. He then appeared in the final four regular-season games, recording three tackles, then played in two postseason contests.
His most memorable snap came on the biggest stage.
Mills registered the first sack of his NFL career in Seattle’s 29-13 win over New England in Super Bowl LX. For a player who spent most of the year rehabbing, it provided a look at the pass-rush ability he showed at Notre Dame.
Although the recovery forced its way into his first NFL campaign, Mills said during OTAs that he felt fully recovered and like a “whole different player” after finally getting a normal offseason.
Fox’s projection now gives that optimism a number.
Five sacks from a rotational defensive lineman would be worthy production, particularly on a front where Macdonald is comfortable cycling through personnel.
Seahawks Camp Reports Back Up Breakout Prediction
Getty Seattle Seahawks’ defensive end #98 Rylie Mills cheers during Super Bowl LX between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8, 2026. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP via Getty Images)
Rang’s prediction also comes at a time when Mills has been one of Seattle’s more noticeable players in training camp.
Field Gulls published its on-site camp takeaways Thursday and repeatedly highlighted Mills.
Bryce Coutts described him as powerful, active and disruptive, while Josh Hite wrote that Mills looked like a “first round blue chip draft prospect” during Football Fest at Lumen Field.
Hite said Mills regularly found his way into the backfield during 11-on-11 work. Mookie Alexander also noted that Macdonald has moved Mills across multiple defensive-line alignments, a potentially important development for a player listed at 6-foot-5 and 296 pounds.
That versatility could be how he gets the workload Rang believes is coming.
Mills will have to earn snaps on a deep defense, as Seattle has exceptional options up front, and a strong August doesn’t mean regular-season production. His rookie sample is also tiny after only four regular-season appearances.
Regardless, the circumstances around Mills are different than they were a year ago. He is healthy, has a full offseason behind him and already flashed in the Super Bowl before emerging as a training camp standout.
The Seahawks got visible returns from 2025 picks Grey Zabel and Nick Emmanwori during their championship season. Mills could be the next member of that class to make a larger jump.
Let’s say he reaches the five-sack mark Rang laid out.
Seattle’s already deep defense becomes even deeper.
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