Kyle Louis NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Miami Dolphins LB

The Miami Dolphins selected Pittsburgh LB Kyle Louis with the No. 138 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Kyle Louis is a good athlete for a linebacker prospect and shows impressive ball skills to be a plus coverage defender in the NFL. Additionally, he has decent instincts against the run to be an intriguing developmental option if a team feels confident it can add weight to his 6'0", 220-pound frame.

The Pittsburgh product's college career began as a 3-star recruit in the 2022 high school class. He didn't play much during his first two years on campus, redshirting and primarily serving as a special teamer. However, Louis became a full-time starter in 2024 and burst onto the scene.

He managed to collect 101 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four interceptions (one pick-six), three passes defended and a forced fumble that year. His effort was good enough to earn first-team All-ACC and All-American honors.

This past season, the former Panther's production dipped a bit with 81 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, three sacks, two interceptions, three PDs and one FF while playing in two fewer games, missing one with a concussion and sitting out of the bowl game. Still, he managed to receive first-team All-ACC recognition.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Highlights

Kyle Louis Highlights

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Where He Wins

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- Louis has an impressive athletic profile, showing very good speed, acceleration and change-of-direction skills to stay in-phase against tight ends and running backs in man-coverage.

- Movement skills also allow him to tighten throwing windows in zone coverage or click and close to minimize yards after the catch.

- Plenty of speed to carry the seam.

- Locates the ball in the air with impressive ball production for a linebacker. Six interceptions and six passes defended over the last two seasons.

- Against the run, he has decent instincts knowing when to shoot gaps and getting unblocked tackles near the line of scrimmage.

- Solid at using his quickness and a shoulder-dip move to slip blocks in the run game.

- Good sideline-to-sideline range with his combination of speed and angles in pursuit.

- When blitzing, he can use his quickness to get pressure, has the speed to close on quarterbacks and force the ball out or get a sack as a free-rusher.

Areas of Improvement

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- Louis is undersized and light. He's built more like a safety and plays like one, too.

- Not very physical when taking on blocks in the run game. He looks to work around blocks rather than take them on.

- Struggles to hold ground as a run-defender. He will get pushed around by offensive linemen and tight ends.

- Doesn't have pop behind his pads when coming downhill.

- Lack of size shows up when tackling running backs. He isn't going to knock anyone backward and will give up extra yards after contact at the next level.

- Subpar awareness in coverage, especially when playing zone. He'll get caught staring into the backfield, is slow to recognize pick routes/rub concepts and has a habit of vacating his area.

- Bites hard on play-action, too.

Grade, Rank, and Pro Comparison

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GRADE: 6.3 (Developmental Prospect — 5th Round)

COMPARABLE GRADE: Ty'Ron Hopper, Missouri (6.1 in 2024), DeMarvion Overshown, Texas (6.2 in 2023), D'Marco Jackson, Appalachian State (6.1 in 2022)

OVERALL RANK: 184

POSITION RANK: LB14

PRO COMPARISON: Jalen Reeves-Maybin

Measurables and Testing Data

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Height: 6'0"
Weight: 220
Hand: 9½"
Arm: 31¼"
Wingspan: 76⅛"

40-Yard Dash: 4.53
10-Yard Split: 1.58
3-Cone: 6.97
Shuttle: 4.26
Vertical: 39.5"
Broad: 10'9"