Once upon a time, 2020 American League Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis roamed center field for the Seattle Mariners.
Could a similarly named player end up patrolling the middle of the field for the Seattle Seahawks’ defense this fall?
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As part of his NFL Draft profile series, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard highlighted Pittsburgh hybrid defender Kyle Louis as a potential second-round or third-round target for the Seahawks in the April 23-25 draft.
The 6-foot, 220-pound Louis is officially listed as a linebacker. According to ESPN, he’s the No. 8 linebacker and No. 89 overall prospect in this year’s draft class. But in reality, he’s more of a linebacker/safety hybrid – similar to 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up Nick Emmanwori, who the Seahawks drafted at No. 35 overall last year.
“Some think he’s a safety. Some think he’s a big nickel. Some think he’s a linebacker,” Huard said. “What he is is the best coverage guy at the second level in this draft at his size. … He would be the best big nickel in this draft.”
A ‘positionless’ weapon
Louis filled up the stat sheet over the past two seasons at Pitt, totaling 10 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, six interceptions, a pick-six, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles. He earned second-team AP All-American honors in 2024 and was a two-time All-ACC selection.
Louis also impressed at the NFL scouting combine. Among linebackers, he ranked fourth in the 40-yard dash (4.53 seconds), fourth in the vertical jump (39.5 inches), second in the broad jump (10 feet, 9 inches), second in the three-cone drill (6.97 seconds) and third in the 20-yard shuttle (4.26 seconds).
While head coach Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks already have one ultra-talented hybrid defender in Emmanwori, Huard doesn’t think that should dissuade them from drafting another.
“With the versatility of these defenses today, and Mike Macdonald’s in particular, if you can play in space and really play in space, they’re going to find a spot for you,” Huard said. “You’ve gotta cover tight ends. You’ve gotta cover running backs. You’ve gotta cover slot receivers. … In some ways, it’s advantageous to be positionless.”
An antidote to the Rams’ offense?
In their first matchup last season, the Seahawks shut down the Los Angeles Rams’ high-powered attack, holding eventual NFL MVP Matthew Stafford & Co. to just 19 points and 249 total yards.
But in the next two clashes between the NFC West powers, it was a much different story. Across both their Week 16 showdown and the NFC Championship Game, Stafford and the Rams piled up a combined 64 points and 1,060 total yards against Seattle’s top-ranked scoring defense.
The Seahawks still managed to win both of those games en route to their Super Bowl title. But with the Rams still looming as one of their biggest threats to a repeat championship next season, Macdonald & Co. will no doubt be searching for ways to slow down the Rams’ vaunted offense.
And according to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, Louis could help solve that exact riddle.
“Kyle Louis out of Pitt would be someone that could help with what took place in that (NFC title) game, giving you somebody who is a second-level player with elite cover skills,” Jeremiah told Brock and Salk on Wednesday. “So, (you would have) another versatile player, but someone who can match up that you’re not going to get targeted in the middle of the field. … He’s a real dynamic player.”
Aside from cornerbacks, Jeremiah said Louis was the best coverage defender at the Senior Bowl back in January.
“If you took all the safeties and linebackers (at the Senior Bowl) and just watched them cover, it wasn’t even close,” Jeremiah said. “He was by far the best man-cover player. … (He) would help them with some of that versatility and that ability to cover in that mid-tier level of the field.”
Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage
• Daniel Jeremiah: 2 boom-or-bust draft prospects for Seattle Seahawks
• Brock’s Seattle Seahawks Draft Profile: Illinois edge Gabe Jacas
• Rost: New favorite emerges to be Seattle Seahawks’ first-round pick
• Huard’s Seahawks NFL Draft Profile: ‘The toughest dude in the draft’
• ’26 vs ’14: Comparing Seahawks’ post-Super Bowl roster turnover