Dolphins draft linebacker Kyle Louis with the 138th pick. Details, feedback
The Dolphins added to one of their deepest rooms on Saturday, drafting highly-productive Pittsburgh inside linebacker Kyle Louis with the 138th overall pick.
Louis was a safety at Pittsburgh, but the Dolphins will use him primarily as a linebacker “with the ability to do different things,” assistant GM Kyle Smith said.
“Kyle is a versatile piece; we see his third down value in coverage,” Smith said. “Very athletic guy, can run, play man coverage, line up as big nickel, down linebacker. [He’s] a tackling machine.
“What really jumps out with Kyle is his athleticism. His ability to move laterally, bend. That really showed up at the Senior Bowl.... You combine that with the tape. At Pitt, he was all over the field. Competitive and tough.”
Louis, who is 5-11 and 220 pounds, was projected to be a second or third-round pick by some. Instead he lasted into the fourth round despite being named to the All ACC first or second team the past two seasons.
“You got yourself a superlative player,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper said. “He has elite change of direction. This kid was all over the field. Twenty four tackles for loss, 10 sacks over the last two years. The production wasn’t here and there. It was every game.”
Louis was second-team All ACC last season, producing 81 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and three pass breakups.
“His pass coverage is second to none; he has tremendous zone coverage instincts and pattern recognition,” ESPN’s Louis Riddick said. “He and Jacob Rodriguez were two guys who were making every single play at the Senior Bowl. He can blitz, play off the ball, come downhill, smack offensive lineman in the mouth. You see the kind of range he has on the perimeter.”
He played in four games and reshirted as a freshman in 2022, then played in nine games and started two in 2023, producing 19 tackles.
In 2004, he blossomed at Pittsburgh; he was named first team All ACC and a second-team Associated Press All American, finishing with 101 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and fourth interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and a blocked extra point that he returned for two points in a six-overtime loss to Toledo.
The 5-11, 220-pound Louis is, according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, an “undersized linebacker/box safety who had more production and made fewer mental mistakes in 2024. Louis has the speed, athleticism and recognition to quickly find the football. Whether in lurker mode from zone or clinging to the route in man, he’s very decisive in coverage and has the ball skills to flip the field. He struggles to take on blocks and leverage his gap in the run game.
“He often catches contact and becomes a drag-down tackler near the line and in space. Teams need to have a plan for how to use him, but versatile sub-package defenders with speed and cover talent are valuable in the league.”
Louis joins a loaded inside linebacker room with Jordyn Brooks, Jacob Rodriguez, Tyrel Dodson, Willie Gay Jr. and Ronnie Harrison Jr.
The Dolphins have seven picks on the third day of the draft.
Eight spots before selecting Louis, Miami drafted Texas edge player Trey Moore at No. 130.
Miami has three picks in the fifth round and two in the seventh round but none in the sixth round.
This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 2:07 PM.
