Roughly half of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ pre-draft visitors have been reported, and a clear trend has emerged on the team’s preference for inside linebacker prospects. Your typical NFL player at the position weighs about 240 pounds, but the Steelers’ three visitors average under 224. The common denominator is speed and dynamic athleticism.
Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, LSU’s Harold Perkins Jr. and Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez all fit the description.
Rodriguez is the closest thing to a classic inside linebacker build and has bulked up considerably throughout college. At 6013 and 231 pounds, he ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash and an elite 6.90 three-cone time while jumping 38.5 inches in the vertical.
Jacob Rodriguez is a LB prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.23 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 249 out of 3215 LB from 1987 to 2026.
Splits projected, all times unofficial, agilities left to run, bench tomorrow.https://t.co/T8BRly26NQ pic.twitter.com/Ys4EWV6Rue
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) February 27, 2026
His athletic profile has similarities to Patrick Queen’s coming out of college. The stats favor Rodriguez, who was one of the most productive in the country last year. Rodriguez had 128 total tackles, 11 TFLs, four INTs, seven FFs and six passes defensed with one defensive touchdown as he finished fifth in the Heisman voting.
Louis and Perkins are both undersized LB/S hybrids. Louis measured in at 5117 and 220 pounds with a 4.53-second 40-yard dash and 39.5-inch vertical and a very strong 6.97-second three-cone drill. Perkins measured in at 6010, 223 pounds, but did not test at the combine. He ran a blistering 4.38-second 40 at his LSU Pro Day.
Kyle Louis is a LB prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 8.64 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 439 out of 3215 LB from 1987 to 2026.
Splits projected, all times unofficial, agilities left to run, bench tomorrow.https://t.co/VkXZp85M2b pic.twitter.com/8rVCkXNlEi
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) February 27, 2026
If Pittsburgh wants an every down true linebacker, Rodriguez is the safest bet. But he would also likely cost them a second-round pick, and he may be gone by then at No. 53 overall. Both Rodriguez and Louis participated in the 2026 Senior Bowl, and the Pittsburgh product upstaged his competition in some ways. Albeit in an athlete-friendly environment that doesn’t go full bore on tackling.
Rodriguez still looked very good, and he was much more in command of the defense from a pre-snap communication standpoint. But Louis was flying around and making plays all over the field. He was even able to carry receivers deep in coverage with relative ease.
Perkins may be the most intriguing of them all. Starting his career as more of an edge rusher, he finished with a hybrid role that was heaviest at off-ball linebacker. In four seasons, he had 220 tackles, 35.5 TFL, 17 sacks, five INTs, 10 total passes defensed and eight FFs. I’m not comparing him directly to Micah Parsons, but he thrived in a hybrid role under Mike McCarthy with the Cowboys. Could they figure out something similar for Perkins in Patrick Graham’s new Steelers defense?
With still 16 pre-draft visitors to be unveiled, the trend could change. But right now, a clear archetype has emerged.
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