INDIANAPOLIS (93.7 The Fan) – His sophomore season at Pitt, linebacker Kyle Louis proved he was something special, something different. It’s that difference that Louis believes will help him leading up to the NFL Draft.
Listed at 6’1”, 220, size has always led to doubters for Louis. Growing up in East Orange, New Jersey, Louis was a three-star prospect from a public high school with only a couple of Power Four opportunities. He would play sparingly his first season before becoming a First Team All-American as a sophomore with 101 tackles, 15.5 TFL, seven sacks, four interceptions (including a Pick Six), a blocked punt and a Pick Two-intercepting a two-point conversion attempt and returning it for two points.
Transitioning from safety to linebacker, Pitt moved him into the ‘Star’ linebacker position and as Louis puts it, it’s not for everybody. It’s a hybrid position to take advantage of his speed, where he will cover like a safety while also being key in run defense like a linebacker.
“The League is changing, people like me is what the League needs,” Louis said Wednesday at the NFL Combine. “The League is becoming a passing League.”
He said he can play any position a defensive coordinator needs. Louis’ motivations are Steelers safety Jabrill Peppers, the hard-hitter from his hometown and former Pitt and current Tampa Bay linebacker SirVocea Dennis.
Louis spent a season with Dennis at Pitt and he’s essentially the same player.
“He definitely laid a path,” Louis said. “Switching from safety to linebacker, he taught me how to go get that ball. How to be a missile-seeking linebacker, shooting the gaps and playing fast. I definitely got that play style from SirVocea.”
Mock drafts show him as likely being a third-or-fourth round pick, but he has done nothing but help himself since his last game at Pitt. Most recently, he was one of the outstanding players at the Senior Bowl. Louis said that’s going to get him noticed by some, but nothing that he hasn’t already done at Pitt for three seasons. The goal is to continue to get his name out there.
“They are going to say I’m a Senior Bowl standout, but you look at my Senior Bowl and you look at my Senior Bowl tape, you are going to see that I’ve been doing this and making plays,” Louis said. “I’m going to keep continuing making plays and getting my name out there.”
Known for his work ethic, Louis would routinely arrive at the UPMC Rooney South Side facilities before 6a and said he would have interactions with Mike Tomlin and Steelers players. And would pick their brains for any additional knowledge. He’s spent the last couple of months continuing to work hard and his family helps him stay motivated and focused.
Louis calls this time in his life before the NFL Draft the fourth quarter.
And he wouldn’t be here without Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi.
“He helped me out with everything, from a football player aspect to a man that you got to get ready to be critiqued about anything,” Louis said. “He helped (teach him) having a thick layer of skin. Especially as a football player, he prepared me for playing linebacker to nickel.”
“He prepared me for all that.”
Now with the help of his college coaches and teammates and the determination learned in his hometown, Louis is ready to face the biggest challenge yet.