The Pittsburgh Steelers' plans for the 2026 NFL Draft may not include drafting an inside linebacker due to their solid depth at the position, but if a local product with tremendous upside falls into their lap, they would be foolish to pass him up due to the value he would provide.
Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis has been flying up draft boards since his season came to an end. With linebacker hitting ability and safety speed, this hybrid defender is looking more attractive in an NFL that is slowly starting to throw away positional labels on the defensive end.
Louis will likely be there for the taking in the third round, and with the Steelers equipped to take some risks in the first year of the Mike McCarthy regime, look for a player like Louis to be targeted with a very specific plan of how he is deployed as a rookie.
Pittsburgh Steelers may need to draft Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis
Louis is a smaller linebacker who some teams may try to pencil in as a do-it-all safety. At just 6-1 and 220 pounds, a Steelers team that has often employed some bigger inside linebackers would need to feel comfortable going against type and bringing him into the fold.
His size can get him into some trouble in run defense, especially when linemen can get to the second level. The Miami game was perhaps his worst effort, as both run defense and coverage were lacking against a team that is loaded with future NFL players on offense.
Even with those flaws, Louis should be a perfect fit on the late half of Day 2. With tremendous speed in the open field, coverage skills that far exceed most of his counterparts at the position, and the versatility needed to do so many things in an NFL scheme, Louis is not making it out of the Top 100.
Louis may not be used like a traditional linebacker, but in this age of versatile safeties being used closer to the line of scrimmage than ever before, why can't he provide a cheap young alternative? On a defense that is getting old fast, a burst of youth like Louis would not go amiss.
With a few extra picks in this draft, the Steelers can take a chance on a raw bundle of athletic traits they wouldn't have been able to in past seasons, and Louis looks like the ideal type of target.