Draft Dreamer: Kyle Louis

With the Seattle Seahawks, the new NFL champion, having been crowned, it’s now officially draft season. This is the chance for all teams to reset and fans to renew their hopes. If you have followed my work, then you know this is my favorite time of year, and it’s never too early to start breaking down NFL Draft prospects. This class is packed with players who will make an impact at the next level. I will cover every one of them, from the big dudes in the trenches to the erasers patrolling the secondary. Let’s get started with a prospect at the linebacker position who has already made his name stand out early in the draft process: Kyle Louis of the Pitt Panthers.

The Background

Kyle Louis was a three-star linebacker recruit for the East Orange Campus Jaguars in East Orange, New Jersey. As a senior, Louis was a First-team All-New Jersey linebacker who led East Orange to a 13-0 record and the North Jersey, Group 5 Regional Championship. In the title game, a 30-24 win over Clifton in triple overtime, Louis collected a game-high 11 tackles (all solo) with a forced fumble, and in the semifinals, he had a 70-yard punt return that broke a scoreless tie early in the fourth quarter, sparking East Orange to a 14-0 win over West Orange. He finished his senior season with 118 total tackles, 87 solo stops, a 73.7% solo rate, 32 TFLs, one sack, one interception returned for 47 yards, four PBUs, and two forced fumbles.

Louis, who was rated the 18th-best player in the state of New Jersey, received several offers, including Pitt, Penn State, and Maryland. He would choose to play for the Panthers at the next level. He would play in four games as a freshman and take a redshirt. The following season, as an R-Freshman, Louis would play in nine games, while making two starts, with 19 total tackles, five solo stops, and 1½ TFLS. He would have his breakout season as a redshirt sophomore the following year (2024), starting all 13 games for the Panthers. Louis would record 101 total tackles (2nd on team), with 45 being solo stops, 15½ TFLs, seven sacks, four interceptions, seven PBUs, one forced fumble, and one blocked kick. He would lead the team in TFLs, sacks, and interceptions.

Louis would follow up his All-American season with another solid season, in which he started all 11 games, with 81 total tackles, 43 solo stops, 8½ TFLs, three sacks, two interceptions, five PBUs, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. He would finish his college career at Pitt with 201 total tackles (6.09 per game), 93 solo stops, 46.2% solo rate, 25½ TFLs, ten sacks, six interceptions, 12 PBUs, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one blocked kick. During his time at Pitt, Louis has graded well on my IDP Rookie Draft Grade spreadsheet with a BCR (Blue Chip Rating) of 14.83 and a BPI (Big Play Impact Score) of 1.772. 

Player Breakdown

Louis will be a very interesting prospect to follow through the draft process. We will get all the official measurements soon, but the Pittsburgh website has him listed at 5’11”/244 lbs. A little undersized for a linebacker by NFL standards, but we have seen shorter LBs make it before. There will be some concerns due to his lack of size, but he can excel with teams that heavily run a lot of nickel. Louis could also play a box safety type of role in the NFL. His instincts and speed will put him in a position to make a lot of plays. Louis does very well at reading blocks and flying downhill into position against the run. His coverage skills are solid, will keep him on the field, and can be a positive box checked for him for teams interested in him.

He has a really good burst and the speed to run with most receivers in man coverage. Can get drawn out of position by misdirection plays and look-offs. Louis is a versatile playmaker, who I see as a hybrid linebacker/safety, whose coverage skills are elite. Has very good sideline-to-sideline speed, rapidly fires downhill as a blitzer, and can defend both in man and zone coverage. His length will be an issue when trying to leverage or anchor versus NFL o-linemen. Louis is a disciplined tackler who rarely misses, even against twitchy players. He has fluid movements and plays the game with smoothness. A noted film junkie who transfers that knowledge to the field. Louis won’t project as a MIKE linebacker, but can excel as a joker-type LB in sub packages.

NFL & Fantasy Projection

Louis will get picked over because of his size, but not for what he brings to the field. Don’t expect him to eat blocks, cause that’s not what his game is. What he is is a versatile playmaker who can be moved around to exploit matchups. Louis can play both the run and drop in coverage at high levels. He had a huge week of practice at the Senior Bowl, showing off his coverage skills. In one-on-one drills against running backs, Louis basically ran the option route for the runner and nabbed the quarterback's pass with his quick hands. Louis has explosive closing speed and is much more than a see-ball, hit-ball player.

When it comes to the draft, Louis will likely be a late day 2, early day 3 selection, somewhere in the 3rd or 4th would be my projection. One of the better overall defenders in this draft class who should easily be a Top 150 selection. He may even be in the Top 100 as his stock continues to rise. Teams with a strong d-line in 4/3 schemes may be interested in Louis more than others, and his ability to handle himself in coverage makes him an intriguing prospect. Ultimately, I see him being a potential starter as quickly as year two, with upside as a versatile chess piece for defenses. His fantasy value will depend on how fantasy managers view his potential. The more he’s overlooked the better value he’ll have, but his stock is trending up, so plan accordingly.

Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy