Dolphins rookie linebacker Kyle Louis played with his Miami classmate, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, on the National Team at the last Senior Bowl.
"I learned how to punch that ball out," Louis told local media in a video call. "(Jacob) was talking about how he was punching the ball out all the time. And then, you know, he did it like probably three times day two. Just seeing him do it in person, I'm like, yeah, he real with it. He legit with it."
Miami grabbed Rodriguez in Round 2 and Louis in Round 4.
"It's definitely motivation," Louis said of sliding to Day 3. "And most importantly, it's just, I thank God for humbling me in that way. So I'm going to come in hungry for sure."
Rodriguez is 6-foot-1, 235 pounds and Louis is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds.
Both tackling machines, they used speed, instincts and football smarts to dominate in college.
Like Dolphins legend Zach Thomas, both of these players have talked about their love of and commitment to watching film.
"The valuable thing I got taught by my coach, he taught me how to use the computer and how to dissect formation," Louis said of his his time at Pittsburgh. "So definitely formation recognition. And then recently, I've been having more keys on alignment communication in terms of how to go on slide, pass block, and things such as that, because the school I'm from, we're a heavy blitz school."
That skill will serve Louis (and Rodriguez) well in a transition to the NFL.
"To get the basics, I really like watching film by myself, and then watching film, my teammates, my coaches, I pick up some tendencies that they do that's different from teams that we usually face," Louis added.
Louis can play inside linebacker (most often now referred to as 'off-the-ball linebacker).'"
And Miami also thinks he can play a big nickel defensive back (third safety) in situations.
"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. And then passing downs, packages, heavy run downhills, I could definitely play the nickel role when needed."
The modern linebacker must be able to run, hit and cover. The coverage element is key and it's something that specifically attracted Miami to Louis.
"I take pride in coverage," Louis said. "Like, I grew up always doing 1v1s, so I always take pride in not losing, even though it's obviously an advantage for the offense. I take pride in just not losing 1v1s."
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Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Does Dolphins rookie Kyle Louis see himself as a linebacker or safety?