The Pittsburgh Steelers met with two draft prospects on the defensive side of the ball Thursday, including one from just next door.
Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis and Illinois defensive lineman James Thompson made predraft visits to the Steelers’ facilities. Pitt shares a South Side practice complex with the Steelers, so Louis didn’t have far to travel.
A 6-foot, 220-pound redshirt junior, Louis was named first-team all-ACC by the Associated Press this past season. He made 81 tackles, including 8½ tackles for loss and three sacks in 11 starts last season.
Labeled an undersized linebacker or box safety by NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein, Louis ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds at the scouting combine and displayed a 39½-inch vertical jump. Zierlein credited Louis for being “very decisive in coverage and against the run,” but noted a “low win rate when taking on blocks near the line.”
A 6-6, 310-pound defensive tackle, Thompson earned All-Big Ten honorable mention in his one season with the Illini. The sixth-year senior spent five seasons at Wisconsin before transferring to Illinois. He appeared in 54 career games.
Last season, Thompson made 35 tackles, 2½ tackles for loss and 1½ sacks in 12 starts. He missed most of the previous season after surgery for what Wisconsin called an “upper-body injury.”
Thompson was not invited to the combine.