Cleveland fans received some terrible, but somewhat expected, news this week when it was revealed that Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is doubtful to play football again.
Though it hasn’t been put out there in black and white yet, it was pretty obvious that the situation was worse than originally expected, based on the simple fact that JOK hasn’t been active in any form of team activity since his injury in 2024.
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Though it’s obviously devastating to see it in words, the team has to figure out a way to replace one of the most athletically gifted linebackers in the NFL heading into 2026. Yes, Carson Schwesinger is an absolute stud, but now the team has to try and find another uber-athletic WILL to pair with “Schwes” next season.
One of the pound-for-pound most athletic linebackers in the class is Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis.
Louis has all the tools necessary to be a playmaking WILL at the NFL level, despite having a slight frame. Today’s WILL linebackers need to have enough athleticism to be effective in coverage and the type of mentality to be effective against the run. Louis clearly has both of these qualities, and he plays the game a lot like Owusu-Koramoah did for Cleveland.
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He’s not going to stack and shed blockers in the run game, but he has elite-level quickness to dip and slip around them at the point of attack. He’s also incredibly effective in coverage and can run with running backs and tight ends all day long.
The fact that he might be able to be had in the third or fourth round is icing on the cake for the Browns. It’ll also be interesting to see what they decide to do with Devin Bush, as he’s set to become a free agent next month.
Regardless, there are only a few linebackers in this class that have the type of athleticism that Cleveland could be looking for, and Louis is undoubtedly one of them.
