Overview

Position: LB

College: Pittsburgh

Class: Junior (RS)

Age: 22

 

Measurables

Height: 5’11 7/8”

Weight: 220 lbs.

Arm length: 31 1/4″

Hand size: 9 1/2″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.53 sec.

10-yard split: 1.58 sec.

Vertical jump: 39.5”

Broad jump: 129.0”

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: 6.97 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.26 sec.

 

Strengths

Top-tier change-of-direction skills. Tremendous speed. Very agile to sift through blockers and get to the ball. Terrific reaction time and quickness tackling on runs to the opposite edge as the backside defender. Tough making a square-up tackle in the line when playing cutbacks. Excellent quickness into the backfield. Does an outstanding job breaking down the tackle in the backfield. Stays square and low to tackle on the second level. Fluid with quick feet getting around blocks on the second level. Good vision peeking through traffic to tackle inside. Uses quickness to shed lead blockers and tackle in the hole. Strikes low when wrapping up in space. Great control tracking the ball in pursuit towards the sideline. Prepared to play cutbacks near the sideline. Hustles across the field to make tackles in space. Will rip the ball out tackling from behind. Very good speed as a blitzer. Impressive balance taking on cut blocks as a blitzer. Experience lining up on the edge. Will keep his eyes on the ball while avoiding blocks on the edge. Showed a spin move as a blitzer. Very effective wrapping up when closing on the quarterback. Able to diagnose screen passes. Tremendous instincts in coverage. Athletic and ready to pounce. Great play recognition to trigger on underneath throws as a zone defender. Quickly covers ground shuffling out towards the sideline in zone coverage. Very smooth in the backpedal and shuffle. Quick retreating to run underneath opponents on corner routes and will get in the passing lane. Very effective coming up to tackle as a zone defender after getting depth at the intermediate level. Very effective getting a hand in at the catch point on underneath passes. Quick wrapping up after the catch. Ideal foot quickness and overall skillset in man coverage. Stays on tight ends in man coverage. Fast getting out and running with tight ends on wheel routes. Excellent ball skills. Able to come away with interceptions down the field. Has the skillset to be a standout player on special teams.

 

Weaknesses

Below-average size at linebacker. Can get wiped out by offensive linemen when they connect with his frame. Limited range tackling in the box due to his size. Has some misses where he dips around a block but doesn’t have the reach to wrap up for the tackle. Inconsistent play recognition in the box. Sometimes lowers his eyes taking on a block and will be slow getting off. Could have more strength bringing down opponents. Has a difficult time not getting pushed back in short-yardage situations. Can get too aggressive with a pursuit angle and miss in space. Could have better awareness getting on drag routes in his area. Played in a 4-3 defense and was sometimes off the field when the team went with two linebackers.

 

NFL comparison

Dee Winters

 

Conclusion

Overall, Louis is a tough, agile linebacker with excellent ability in coverage and ideal aggression as a backside defender. The lack of size could be a problem behind a defensive front that can’t keep him clean, but Louis has the skillset to contribute for an NFL defense.

 

Big Board ranking: #86 | Positional ranking: #7