Why the versatility of Dolphins’ Trey Moore, Kyle Louis ‘excites’ coach Jeff Hafley
What the Miami Dolphins wanted in the 2026 NFL Draft was clear.
They wanted to get bigger. They wanted to get more physical. And they wanted versatility.
Enter Texas’ Trey Moore and Pitt’s Kyle Louis. Taken in the fourth round, both players offer a rare breed of versatility that already has coach Jeff Hafley’s defensive mind percolating.
“It excites me,” Hafley said, bragging about how he spent some time in the draft room “drawing up different things different guys can do” simply because it’s “fun.” “I think anytime you can draft a player who can do multiple things, it’s our job as coaches to have a vision for him and figure out where to play him or play him in multiple spots.”
In Moore, the Dolphins get a player who could line up on the edge or even inside linebacker. He starred in the former role during his time at Texas-San Antonio, racking up 14 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss en route to bring named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in his final year before transferring to the Longhorns. During his two years in Austin, his numbers trailed off — 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss — yet his ability to play multiple positions shined.
“I played defensive end in a 4-2 scheme at Texas my first year, then I played inside linebacker in that same scheme,” Moore said. “I played Sam backer in a 4-3 scheme, and I’ve played Will, outside backer, boundary backer in a 3-4 scheme. So yeah, I’ve done a bunch of different things and I can be used in a multitude of different ways. I do a lot of things well, so whatever they need me to do, whatever role they need me to play, I’m going to be able to do that as best as I can.”
With Louis, the Dolphins got one of most highly sought-after prospects thanks to his ability in coverage. Evaluators such as ESPN NFL and college football analyst Louis Riddick fell in love with his fellow Pitt Panther.
“This is the guy that’s your quintessential will linebacker,” Riddick said on the ACC Football Podcast, comparing Louis to Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks. His projections for the All-American — “Day 1 starter” and “Pro Bowl, All-Pro-caliber potential” — are sky-high to the say the least. “He is just a baller, man, and he’s made for today’s game.”
Louis’ ability to create takeaways – six interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles over his final two seasons — as well as just to cover make him not just an above-average linebacker but also offer some flexibility on the backend as a big nickel. All the speculation that he would spend most of his time at safety, however, can officially be put to rest.
“I feel the most at home at linebacker,” Louis said. “I feel the most at home going against tight ends at linebacker, going against running backs at linebacker, beating a lineman at linebacker. And then passing downs, packages or heavy rundowns, I could definitely play the nickel role when needed.”
What makes the presence of Moore and Louis even more exceptional is that it gives Hafley the opportunity to run the hybrid defense that he so often mentions. It might look like 4-3 base, yet that could easily transform into 4-2-5 based on the personnel on the field.
“You’re going to see elements of both regardless, you just might see different jersey numbers and people doing it,” Hafley responded when asked whether he plans to run a 4-3 or 3-4 base. “It’s just jersey numbers and people, so I don’t get too caught up in all that stuff.”
