Seahawks draft Notre Dame DT Rylie Mills in fifth round

The Seattle Seahawks added some much-needed defensive line depth by selecting Notre Dame defensive tackle Rylie Mills with the No. 142 overall pick in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

2025 Seattle Seahawks Draft Breakdown: A look at all 11 picks

Seattle acquired that pick in a trade just minutes prior that sent reserve quarterback Sam Howell and the No. 172 pick to the Minnesota Vikings.

The 6-foot-5, 291-pound Mills was ranked by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. as the No. 11 defensive tackle in this year’s draft class and the No. 117 overall prospect.

Mills led Notre Dame’s stout defense with 7.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss in 13 games this past season before tearing his ACL in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Over his five-year college career with the Fighting Irish, the Lake Bluff, Ill., native totaled 17 sacks and 26 tackles for loss.

Mills gives the Seahawks some rotational depth at defensive tackle behind their strong interior trio of Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed and Byron Murphy II.

Roy Robertson-Harris, a rotational piece on Seattle’s defensive line last year, signed with the New York Giants last month. Veteran nose tackle Johnathan Hankins, another rotational piece last season, remains unsigned in free agency.

Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote about Mills in his scouting report:

Mills has the size, strength and demeanor of a 3-4 defensive end. He’s aggressive and physical in phone booth fist-fights but plays off blocks and tackles the gaps around him. He’s not much of a knee-bender, so anchoring firm will get a lot tougher as a pro. He lacks explosive, twitchy movements as a rusher but makes good use of heavy hands to carve open edges and get into the pocket. He’s a better picker than twister and can bull-rush unsuspecting guards. Mills could become a three-down rotational piece provided there are no lingering issues from the knee injury he suffered during the College Football Playoff.

Seattle Seahawks 2025 NFL Draft picks

• Seahawks draft North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel at No. 18
• Seahawks trade up to draft South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori
• Seahawks draft Miami TE Elijah Arroyo at No. 50
• Seahawks draft Alabama QB Jalen Milroe at No. 92
• Seahawks draft Notre Dame DT Rylie Mills in fifth round
• Seahawks draft Colorado State WR Tory Horton in fifth round
• Seahawks draft Alabama tight end Robbie Ouzts, list him as fullback
• Seahawks draft Kansas OL Bryce Cabeldue in the sixth round
• Seattle Seahawks draft three in seveth round, including ex-Oregon State RB

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