Sure, says Kyle Louis. You can judge him by his performance at the Senior Bowl, where he was a standout player on defense.
"But if you look at my Senior Bowl and then look at my season tape, you’re going to see that I’ve been doing this, and I’ve been making plays, and I’m going to continue making plays and getting my name out there," Louis said Wednesday at the NFL combine.
Louis has the speed and flexibility that NFL teams are coming to covet on defense. Is he a linebacker? Yes, but no. Is he a safety? Yes, but no. He seems himself as a hybrid, which is how he put himself on the map at Pitt. Louis played the Star linebacker position, blending his ability to cover in the open field, come down against the run and even rush the passer in a role that Louis says his coaches "tailored for me."
"If (you're) looking for speed," he said, "then I’m right here."
The Lions could use some in their front seven, which looked slow as last season wore on. Louis had an informal meeting with Detroit here in Indy, which he said went well: "We were just talking about life mainly, and just trying to see the type of person I am. I already know how the locker room is for the Lions. I can see it’s a great locker room, it’s a great culture to be a part of."
"From the outside looking in, it’s grit, and trusting the process, and actually staying down and just staying true to a football player in a traditional way," he said.
Louis is a non-traditional player, with a familiar hunger. He plays with what he calls a "shark mentality" that Dan Campbell, Kelvin Sheppard and the Lions could surely put to use: "Anytime I smell blood, I’m out here chasing it." He would be a natural complement to Jack Campbell, a bigger, longer, more prototypical middle linebacker who's coming off an All-Pro season.
"Detroit’s got a great coverage linebacker that I always hear about and that I always get compared to, that (my agent) says I could play right next to him," Louis said.
The Lions played base defense far more frequently than any team in the NFL last season, built around the linebacker trio of Campbell, free-agent-to-be Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes. It didn't really work, especially when injuries piled up in the secondary. By extension, they rarely played nickel, while the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks played it at one of the highest rates in the NFL.
When Sheppard was asked about all this on Tuesday, he pointed out that Seattle's nickel is "that freak from South Carolina" Nick Emmanwori, who stormed into the NFL last season as a 6'3, 225-pound safety who doubles as a linebacker.
"I probably would have played (nickel), too, if I had him," said Sheppard.
Louis considers Emmanwori one of his defensive models. He doesn't boast the same length at 6'0, 225, but Louis said he spent a lot of time last season watching Emmanwori and Texans safety/nickel Jalen Pitre. They are useful illustrations of how Louis could blossom in today's NFL. Projected as a Day 2 pick, Louis had 25.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and six picks over his final two seasons at Pitt.
"The league is constantly changing, especially now, and people like me is what the league needs, I feel like," Louis said. "The league is definitely becoming a passing league and as a great, all-three-down linebacker -- 12 personnel, heavy personnel -- I can still cover. And it’s not taking away (from my) run defense. It’s added on top of it."
It's certainly a valuable skillset. At the same time, Louis knows that "it's not going to be important until I showcase it" in the NFL. He faces questions about his size at the next level. He can answer them with his instincts and speed.
"People try to say that I’m undersized for a linebacker ... so I’m just here to showcase that you don’t gotta be 240 to make plays," Louis said. "You don’t gotta be 240 to hit-stick."