Rylie Mills put together a fantastic senior season with Notre Dame until he got injured, but how does his full NFL scouting report look?
Overview, Film Analysis, And 2025 Scouting Report Of Notre Dame DL Rylie Mills
Measurables:
- 6’5”
- 291 lbs
Player Background:
A class of 2020 graduate out of Lake Forest HS in Illinois, Rylie Mills was ranked among the Top-15 strongside defensive end prospects and a Top-5 recruit in the state. He committed to Notre Dame as a four-star recruit, spending his entire career with the Fighting Irish. His freshman season was a solid building block, appearing in nine games. In said contests, he recorded seven tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and a half-sack.
Mills played in all 13 games during the 2021 season, racking up three sacks and 16 tackles. He continued to trend in the right direction in 2022, making 24 tackles and 3.5 sacks with six TFLs. 2023 wasn’t as good a campaign, dropping his sack total to 2.5 with 5.5 TFLs in 13 games. His senior season was his best at Notre Dame, setting career-highs in sacks with 7.5 and TFLs with 8.5.
Accolades:
- Second Team All-American (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
Mills is always working forward and comes at blockers with never-ending violence on the interior. His legs continue to drive throughout the play, and he is always forcing the pocket backward. He thrashes through linemen with force and has the power to rip them down and toss them aside. His arms are powerful, with generally good placement fueling a great bull rush when he fully commits. He has a decent get-off out of a four-point stance, and he engages with the OL quickly.
He’s smart enough to manipulate offensive linemen at the goal line into letting him expand his range and re-direct runs. Mills identifies screens quickly and can rotate off the line well to intercept them behind the line. He extends well when chasing down rushers and is smart with his weight, sinking into his lower half well and dropping them efficiently. He’s a great wrap-up tackler, ripping his arms well around the ball carrier and using his natural power to finish off tackles.
Weaknesses/Cons:
Mills lets his lower half get too high early out of his stance and struggles to sit into his base and hold his ground. His feet move around too much when trying to reset himself, often doing more bad for him than good. He looks uncomfortable when running defensive stunts and isn’t laterally smooth enough for them to be consistently effective. He loses his balance and power too much when rotating around the line, and he doesn’t have the speed or agility to work well in space.
His upper half gets too rotational at times, and he can get twisted and swarmed too easily by multiple blockers. Mills frequently lets himself go with the flow of the blocker he’s lined up against, and he needs to plant and attack them more to avoid taking inefficient angles. He’s rarely able to hunker down and plug gaps on the interior, is always trying to move, and smarter linemen take advantage of him. He struggles with countering offensive linemen when they get first contact on him, letting his upper half get driven too far back and his arms get neutralized.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
Mills is a very straightforward player and prospect when it comes to his future outlook. He’s a pass-rushing defensive lineman who has the strength and violence on the interior to be decently productive, but he doesn’t have the lateral movement skills to fully flesh out his game. His bull rush, relentlessness, and great tackling technique will make him a solid player to bolster a team’s pass rush, but it’s unlikely that he will develop into a true three-down contributor.
Prospect Grade:
- Mid 4th Round
Film Exposures:
- 2024 vs. Indiana
- 2024 vs. Purdue
- 2024 vs. Georgia Tech
Main Image: MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
