The Seattle Seahawks boasted a large handful of names who had a significant impact on the field this past season, known loud and clear. Some of them were explosive offensive players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and, down the stretch, Kenneth Walker III. Of course, don't forget about Sam Darnold, either.
Others were seasoned veterans like DaMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams, along with some younger names everyone will know for seasons to come, like Byron Murphy II and Nick Emmanwori. The Seahawks were chock-full of impact players, who disrupted games on defense or blew them up on offense.
However, other names can't be forgotten amid all of the Super Bowl excitement and aftermath — players who didn't get much attention, but just enough for Seahawks GM John Schneider to publicly state his personal confidence in them despite being young and wading in the background: Rylie Mills and Elijah Arroyo.
John Schneider touts Rylie Mills and Elijah Arroyo as two of the Seattle Seahawks' most exciting players to watch in the future
It's been said over and over again, throughout the regular season, in the middle of the playoffs, and after winning the Super Bowl: The Seahawks were one of, if not the, most complete team in all the NFL last season. On offense, defense, special teams, and in coaching, Seattle had all position groups and leadership personnel firing on all cylinders.
The 2025-26 Seahawks were, without question, Schneider's best roster since 2010, his first year as the franchise's general manager. But behind the stars, starters, and well-known players, there are always the second- and third-stringers who don't get a lot of attention unless their impact on the field demands it, and that's where Mills and Arroyo come into the picture.
Mills missed significant time last season due to an ACL injury he suffered at Notre Dame during his final college season. Mills ended up playing in just six games last season (four regular and two playoff, including the Super Bowl), but apparently did enough to earn some booming praise from Schneider, who expressed his excitement on the futures of both Mills and Arroyo.
“Those guys are talented young men. You guys saw what Rylie could do," Schneider said. "Elijah was having a great season before his injury. We were lucky to get him back for the Super Bowl. He’s got a super bright future. They’re both really young, they’re both a big part of our building, big part of our people.....so excited for these guys.”
Mills had the best NFL game of his young career in the Super Bowl, in fact, instigating a sack on New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye by shoving a Patriots lineman into Maye, eventually taking both players down. His strength and resilience on one play showed how much Mills can imitate a freight train on the defensive line for the Seahawks.
As for Arroyo, who was also limited by injuries last season and wasn't as effective because of that, Schneider clearly sees enough potential to grade Arroyo as an exciting prospect that can develop and grow with the Seahawks in the future.
The Seahawks' starters in almost every position appear to be stable and cemented, for the most part. This means that someone like Mills will have to earn his keep as a backup for the time being. But that shouldn't stop him from excelling, and the Seahawks have a solid player in Mills ready to step up when his number is called, and Schneider already sees that.