Pitt football’s Kyle Louis nears top of best available prospects heading into third day of NFL Draft

Pitt football’s Kyle Louis might not have heard his name called on Friday night, but heading into day three of the NFL Draft, Pitt football has one of the best available prospects.

Pitt star Kyle Louis sits atop the available linebackers list on ESPN, and is the 15th best overall prospect left on the board.

Louis is far-and-away the headliner player from Pitt’s graduating draft class, and will likely be the first player off the board from the school in the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.

The East Orange, New Jersey native spent all four years of his collegiate football career at Pitt, a rarity in today’s game. He made his collegiate debut with the Panthers in 2022, but injury limited him to just four games and prompted him to redshirt.

In his redshirt first-year, Louis recorded 19 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in nine games.

His 2024 campaign exploded his stock and put his name on the future NFL map. In 13 games, Louis racked up a collegiate career-high 101 total tackles. His 15.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and four interceptions all led Pitt’s defense.

He was one of four Panthers with a pick six that season, returning one to the house in Pitt’s win over Syracuse. His standout campaign earned him first-team All American honors in 2024.

This past season, Louis appeared in 11 games as a redshirt junior. In his final year at Pitt, he posted 81 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, three passes defended, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.

Louis recorded a 4.53 40-time at the NFL Combine, good for fourth best among the linebacker class in this year’s draft. His speedy style and flashy stats had him a potential day two pick in the draft, but now he must wait one more day to find his new home.

One of the big questions surrounding Louis ahead of the draft was what position he would play. Scouts and draft experts are divided on whether his best performance would come as a linebacker or a safety.

In one of his final draft previews, ESPN’s Mel Kiper had Louis listed as his favorite safety in this class. His colleague Louis Riddick, however, had him projected as a linebacker, his native position in college.

Despite the differences in preferred position, most analysts agree that Louis is a player capable of executing multiple spots on the field.

“A savvy defensive coordinator will have him as a box safety, an off-ball linebacker, at outside linebacker, in the slot and over the top,” Kiper said in his pre-draft evaluation. “No matter where he aligns on any snap, Louis finds the football and gets himself into the middle of the action.”

Riddick went one step further, comparing some of the traits Louis has to Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks and praising his ballhawk style.

“He has the movement skills of a defensive back and the hands of a wide receiver,” Riddick said of Louis.

His position flexibility might have worked against him Friday night. Not having one set-in-stone position for once he arrived in the league might have made some teams wary of using a day two pick on Louis.