Now that the dust has settled on the first wave of free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers' brass is busy stringing together their plans for the 2026 NFL Draft. On Wednesday, Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy were spotted on the scouting trail together for the first time since the NFL Combine. Now, Pittsburgh's decision-makers are busy scheduling pre-draft visits.
On Thursday, the Steelers continued their recent run of pre-draft meetings by hosting local Pitt Panthers linebacker Kyle Lois for a visit, per Nick Farabaugh of PennLive. The team is also meeting with Illinois defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. for a pre-draft visit.
Because Louis is a local product, he won't count against the Steelers' 30 pre-draft visitors. But there are reasons beyond local ties to suggest Pittsburgh could draft Louis next month.
The Pittsburgh Steelers host Pitt Panthers LB Kyle Louis for a pre-draft visit
Louis was already on NFL teams' draft radars after back-to-back productive seasons in the ACC. However, it was his exceptional Senior Bowl performance that really put him on the map as a potential Day 2 pick.
Louis showed remarkable coverage in Mobile, thanks to his feel for pass concepts and silky-smooth change-of-direction ability in space. He was considered by many to be one of the biggest winners during Senior Bowl week.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have a sneaky need at linebacker. Patrick Queen is set to return on a massive $17.19 million cap number, but he's entering the last year of his deal. Queen struggled heavily in coverage last season, allowing 829 yards and three touchdowns, for a passer rating of 114.6. This netted him a coverage grade of 32.4, per Pro Football Focus—good for 77th among 80 qualifying linebackers.
Louis would be an instant impact player as a third-down linebacker who can excel in nickel and dime packages. The flashy linebacker recorded a quality 72.3 coverage grade at Pitt in 2025 while netting six interceptions over the past two seasons (24 games).
At 6'0'' and 220 pounds, Louis is undersized as a linebacker, but he could operate as a pseudo-safety or slot defender in a hybrid role, thanks to his explosive athletic traits (4.53 speed, 39 1/2'' vertical, 6.97 3-cone).
The best part for the Steelers is that, with three third-round selections, the value and need could align perfectly for Pittsburgh to turn in their card for Louis with one of these selections.
As far as Pennsylvania-local prospects go this year, Kyle Louis will be as intriguing to the Pittsburgh Steelers as anyone in this class. Louis has starter upside at the next level thanks to his impressive fluidity and ball skills in coverage.