The interior defensive line was a tone-setting force for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks’ top-ranked defense this past season.
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It all started with second-team All-Pro Leonard Williams and second-year standout Byron Murphy II, who combined for more sacks (14.0) and quarterback pressures (108) than any other defensive tackle duo in the NFL.
Beyond the stat sheet, Williams and Murphy blew up countless other plays and created opportunities for teammates by drawing a steady stream of double teams. They also were big-time disruptors against the run, serving as key cogs for a stifling run defense that yielded a league-low 3.7 yards per carry.
In addition, veteran nose tackle Jarran Reed complemented the elite Williams-Murphy tandem as a valuable rotational piece. Reed chipped in 2.5 sacks and did plenty of dirty work in the trenches, especially as an early-down run stuffer.
And here’s the kicker: As great as Seattle’s interior D-line was in 2025, there’s a chance it could be even better in 2026.
Why? Two words: Rylie Mills.
Mills, a 2025 fifth-round draft pick, missed most of this past season while recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered in a College Football Playoff game with Notre Dame in December 2024. Mills had a highly productive college career with the Fighting Irish – including 7.5 sacks in 13 games as a senior – but the injury plummeted his draft stock.
After Mills fell to the Seahawks in the fifth round, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk last spring that he viewed the Notre Dame product as a late-round steal. Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, said if Mills hadn’t gotten injured, he would have ranked him as a top-50 prospect in last year’s draft class.
Mills ended up flashing that talent on football’s biggest stage.
After making his NFL debut in Week 15 and easing into action with limited snaps over the final month of the regular season, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Mills announced his presence in spectacular fashion with a jaw-dropping sack in the second quarter of the Super Bowl.
Rylie Mills fights through the lineman for another Seahawks sack!
Super Bowl LX on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/hFaoA9F3to
— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026
With a stunning display of force, Mills used a bull rush to completely overpower New England Patriots rookie left guard Jared Wilson. Mills pushed Wilson back about 6 yards and sent him directly into quarterback Drake Maye, who Mills then wrestled to the ground for an emphatic sack.
Mills also had another impressive play in the third quarter, when he drove Patriots right guard Mike Onwenu back several yards and ultimately drew a double-team that helped set up a sack for Murphy.
Despite playing just five defensive snaps in the Super Bowl, Mills finished with one sack and two pressures.
It’s a very small sample size, no doubt, but it provided a glimpse of Mills’ tantalizing potential.
And the idea of adding that potential to an already stellar Seattle D-line? That should have Seahawks fans salivating.
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