The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of draft capital to work with this year, which gives them a lot of freedom to address different positions. One area where they could still add at is at linebacker. While trade rumors swirled around Patrick Queen earlier this month, it looks like he’ll be staying in Pittsburgh this year. However, he’s only got one year left on his contract, so the Steelers could add someone to take over for him next year. They’ve shown interest in some linebackers, including the University of Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, who described his pre-draft visit with the team.
“It was definitely great,” Louis said recently on Panther-Lair.com’s YouTube channel. “I’m already familiar with the whole area already, but I’ve never been on that side. So, being to that side and seeing all these new coaches and talking to my linebacker coach, it was a great time.
“Seeing it from the other side, they do actually pay attention to a lot of Pitt players and show love to us that I never really noticed back when I was focused on the next college football game. It’s a good thing to notice.”
Louis played at Pitt from 2022-2025, appearing in 35 games with 26 starts. He racked up 201 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and six interceptions in his collegiate career.
Pitt and the Steelers share facilities, giving the NFL team an extra level of familiarity with the college’s prospects. The Steelers haven’t shied away from drafting Pitt players, either. They took a swing on Kenny Pickett a few years ago, although that didn’t work out. Also, they drafted James Conner in the third round in 2017, and that was a better decision.
While Louis was productive at Pitt and is a great athlete, he’s a little undersized for an NFL linebacker. That shows up on the field, too. Louis has issues in the run game, not having the strength to consistently take on blocks.
However, he shows quality coverage skills. Because of that, Steelers Depot’s Nate Kosko suggested Louis move to safety at the NFL level.
Even if that happens, Louis could still land with the Steelers. Similar to linebacker, the Steelers have their starters set at safety, but they could use depth. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if they spend a draft pick on that position.
Louis is projected to be a Day 2 or 3 pick, so the Steelers might not have to spend premium capital to draft him. He could find himself getting even more familiar with the other side of Pitt’s facility.
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