2026 NFL Scouting Report: Kyle Louis

Prospect Summary:

In 2023, Louis was a backup who contributed 19 tackles as a freshman, so he was an unknown entering the 2024 season. But that quickly changed as Louis was a breakout star and one of the best linebackers in the nation as a sophomore. Louis was all over the field for the Panthers and made some clutch plays for his team. Louis was tremendous with 97 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, one forced fumble, four interceptions, and seven passes broken up. In 2025, Louis had 79 tackles with three sacks, three passes defended, a forced fumble, and two interceptions. After the season, Louis had an impressive week of practice at the Senior Bowl.

In the passing-driven NFL, teams have devalued the linebacker position in the NFL Draft, with linebackers that would have been a first-round pick 20 and 30 years ago now falling to the second day of the draft. However, they still play a crucial role in the defense, and there are some teams with traditionally excellent defenses that still value linebackers early (Baltimore, Pittsburgh). Linebackers who can excel in pass coverage are in demand, and thus, there should be plenty of teams that are interested in drafting Louis. Louis is a fast, instinctive player who is all over the field for his defense.

In pass coverage, Louis really stands out as a future contributor for the NFL. He is very smooth dropping in coverage and covers a lot of ground in zone. The athletic and agile Louis demonstrates strong coverage skills against tight ends down the seam and receivers entering his territory. Louis can really run, so he should be a nice asset for defending receiving tight ends. On top of being able to cover and run with receivers, Louis’s ball skills are excellent for a linebacker. He doesn’t panic when passes come his way, and he attacks the ball. Louis is capable to slap passes away, and is dangerous to pick the ball off. On top of his coverage skills, Louis is a dangerous blitzer who closes on the quarterback in a blur. He has good vision to pick a rush lane and work his way through the line. Louis is a dynamic pass-defending linebacker, and he is a great fit for the current NFL in this regard.

As a run defender, Louis is dynamic in pursuit as he flies around the field and can go sideline-to-sideline. Louis is fast to explode to the flat to defend perimeter runs, and he will come downhill to cut down backs. Louis is an impressive open-field tackler and can break down in space. For the NFL, Louis is undersized, so he will need to work on taking on blocks, stacking, shedding, and getting on tackles. Given his size, that could be a persistent issue for him. Louis can get bounced around by blockers, and he will have issues with that when taking on pro offensive linemen. Thus, adding more strength for the pro game would help.

Louis looks like a great fit as a Will linebacker in a 4-3 defense. He could be a three-down starter, and at worst, should be a good rotational linebacker for the subpackage and an asset to contribute to the nickel defense.

In my latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, I have Louis going on day two, and he could definitely end up being a pick on Friday night of the draft.