Rylie Mills, IDL Notre Dame: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Mills was a four-star recruit from Lake Forest High School in Lake Forest, Ill. in the class of 2020

Notre Dame defensive lineman Rylie Mills was a standout performer against USC. The senior will have a chance to be a top 100 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft with a strong pre-draft process.

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Rylie Mills, IDL Notre Dame: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior defensive tackle from Lake Bluff, Ill.

Background: Mills was a four-star recruit from Lake Forest High School in Lake Forest, Ill. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 159 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 155 for Rivals, and No. 216 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 141st in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. In seven games as a high school senior, Mills amassed 45 tackles, including 14 for loss with five sacks. According to MaxPreps, he totaled 30 tackles, including 17 for loss with three sacks, in seven games as a junior. Mills was a member of the 2019 News-Gazette All-State Team. He also competed in shot put and discus for the track and field team.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: N/A

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, experience playing multiple roles on the line, fires hands early in the play, good hand placement, flashes of power in his hands, impressive hand fighter, hand usage and placement help him win as a rusher, rip move, swim move (primarily used against run blocks), double-handed swipe, occasional hump move, latches with two hands and yanks linemen out of the way, good acceleration on stunts, gets skinny to shoot gaps, agility and speed help threaten to win the inside shoulder of guards, saw more of his power rush against North Carolina State (2023), redirects and out-athletes linemen at times, quickly redirects from the B-gap to A-gap, quick post-snap read and diagnosis, lateral agility and movement skills to flow down the line to the ball, hustles to make tackles along the sideline or in pursuit, separates from blocks to the football, able to slip off of linemen climbing vertically, olays around linemen getting downhill, showcased ability to stack, peak, and shed against the Blue Devils (2023), set the edge and made plays against Riley Leonard twice (2023), the 2023 Duke film is fantastic

Cons: He’s a lean 300 lbs., high-hipped, arm length appears less than ideal, outreached by Ohio State’s Josh Simmons (2023), still looks like an athletic ball of clay rather than a finished product, limited bend, average get-off and burst in first step, struggles against balanced pass protectors, pad level is too high, pass rush dies when the offensive lineman makes contact first, lacks a deep bag of pass rush moves, doesn’t have counters to revive pass rush, no quick wins as a pass rusher, pass rush offers nothing against double teams, ability to anchor the point of attack is in question, easily displaced by double teams, not built for goal line situations

Overview: Mills has special teams experience on the punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. Most of his experience has come playing 2i through 4-tech, but Notre Dame occasionally gave him snaps as a 5-tech in previous seasons. Mills is primarily playing 2 and 3-tech in 2023. He wins many reps with his polished hand usage. The senior fires his powerful hands early in the play with good placement. He keeps them active throughout the play, constantly fighting to soften a lineman’s shoulder or mess with the blocker’s balance. As a pass rusher, Mills relies on a rip move and double-handed swipe. He’ll also occasionally turn to a hump move or swim move, although he primarily uses the latter to defeat blockers in the run game. When all else fails, Mills latches with two hands and yanks linemen out of the way. He accelerates quickly on stunts and gets skinny to shoot gaps. Mills finds some success using his speed and agility to capture the guard’s inside shoulder. He frequently redirects and out-athletes linemen by changing gaps. Mills isn’t a traditional power rusher, but he showed off some of the power elements of his game in the matchup against North Carolina State (2023). He is still more of a developmental, athletic defender than a finished product. The Illinois native is an athletic ball of clay who still needs to be refined. He has limited bend and an average first step off the line. Mills must control his pad level. He’s too big of a target right now, and his pass rush dies when offensive linemen land the first punch. Mills lacks a deep bag of pass rush moves and doesn’t have the counters to revive a dead rush. He rarely posts quick wins and struggles against balanced pass protectors who won’t be easily harassed by his hands. Mills lacks the mass and power to defeat double teams as a rusher and run defender. The former four-star recruit’s power was disappointing against Ohio State in 2023, but he found much more success being a force at the point of attack against Duke. Mills’ quick post-snap diagnosis skills help him track the ball carrier down the line of scrimmage. He hustles and uses his above-average movement skills to make tackles in pursuit. Mills uses the forward momentum of guards in the run game against them by quickly removing his hands and side stepping or jumping back vertically, causing the guard to lose his balance and stumble forward. This allows Mills to slip past linemen and disrupt plays. The crafty defensive lineman also uses his upper body strength and a two-handed swipe to shift linemen out of his way. His ability to stack, peak, and shed blocks jumped off the tape against Duke (2023). Mills even set the edge and made plays against Riley Leonard runs twice. Unfortunately, Mills is a lean 300-pounder with high hips and arms that fall below the usual thresholds. His ability to anchor the point of attack is questionable, and he is easily displaced by double teams. The Ohio State (2023) tape was Mills’ worst in run defense through seven games as he was frequently double teamed, outreached, and displaced vertically. It’s worth wondering if Mills will have enough power to stick inside at the next level.

Overall, Mills is a classic undersized risk vs. reward defensive lineman. At his best, Mills could be a frequently used rotational penetrating 3-tech and athletic mismatch against guards. At his worst, he won’t have the play strength to hold up on rushing downs or the high-end pass rush plan to apply pressure consistently. Mills has too many flashes to fall past the early part of day three.

Role & Scheme Fit: Undersized penetrating 3-tech in a 4-3 scheme

Round Projection: Fourth Round

Size: 6'5 1/8", 306 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 10-11-23