Two High-Ceiling LB Prospects Broncos Could Develop Into Starters

Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton were both re-signed by the Denver Broncos, but this led to the release of Dre Greenlaw, raising concerns about the team's depth at the position.

This is a great linebacker class in the draft, with plenty of options to boost depth, while giving the Broncos potential starters in the next year or two, depending on how Strnad and Singleton perform over that time.

Today, I'm highlighting two possible linebackers with condensed scouting reports in the latest edition of our Finding Broncos draft series. We'll weigh the pros and cons of each prospect and explain why both linebackers could fall in the draft.

Background

Louis turned 22 in March. He was a three-star recruit coming out of high school.

There was a good amount of interest in Louis, including from big programs, but he initially chose Temple and then flipped to Pittsburgh during his senior year in high school.

Stats

Louis played 1,683 snaps in three years at Pittsburgh. He picked up 52 pressures with 10 sacks, while adding 94 stops.

Louis had 30 missed tackles while making 145 tackles and 52 assists. In coverage, he allowed 92 catches on 122 targets for 779 yards with three touchdowns, with six interceptions and five passes broken up.

Pros

Louis's athleticism, speed, and range are elite for a linebacker, and he is more of a safety than a linebacker. His instincts, awareness, and play diagnoses are exceptional, and are boosted by his speed and range.

Louis is rarely caught out of position and is hard to bait by quarterbacks or by fakes on routes. He is smooth and fluid as a mover, with excellent body control, and he does well sorting through the trash and side-stepping around blockers to make an impact.

Louis is quick to his landmarks when working in coverage and laterally as a run defender. His quickness is also a weapon as a pass rusher with plenty of pressures over the last two seasons, and he can work as a quarterback spy.

Louis trusts what he sees in coverage and reacts quickly to make a play on the ball at the catch point and make the target's life more difficult. When he arrives at the target, he will poke at the ball to try to force an incompletion, which he often succeeds at doing.

Cons

Kyle Louis. — Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) in pass coverage against the Miami Hurricanes. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

There is no way around it: Louis is small for a linebacker, and his frame is maxed out with no opportunity to get bigger. He clearly lacks the mass and strength to hold up as a run defender when blockers do get on his frame. The lack of length is also evident when attacking the catch point and working off blocks.

Most of Louis's coverage snaps came while working in certain zones, so it's unclear whether he can handle man coverage at some level of consistency. His coverage ability stems from his read-and-react, which is far more beneficial in zone. The lack of length and size can also be problematic in man coverage, enabling his assignment to box him out or stack him on their hip.

Louis has a medical history that will need to be reviewed for any potential long-term concerns. This raises additional concern about his body holding up at the NFL level, as several other smaller linebackers have had serious issues staying healthy over the years.

Fit With the Broncos

If the Broncos want to boost their coverage from the linebacker position, Louis would be an option. However, the concerns over his frame don’t align with what the Broncos have trended toward at linebackers over the years.

Jimmy Rolder. — Michigan Wolverines linebacker Jimmy Rolder (30) pursues a play on defense against the Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan Stadium. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Background

Rolder, who turned 22 in February, was a former four-star recruit. He initially committed to Illinois to play baseball as a junior in high school, but he began receiving interest from football schools, which was the sport he wanted to play.

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was Rolder's primary recruiter to Michigan.

Stats

Rolder has played only 909 snaps over four years, including 531 in 2025. Last season, he had 13 pressures, two sacks, 61 tackles, 21 assisted tackles, and only four missed tackles.

Rolder also added 31 stops and allowed 29 catches on 36 targets for 251 yards, with one touchdown, one interception, and two passes broken up.

Pros

Rolder has good size and is a good athlete for the position. He is a loose, smooth, and fluid mover, which leads to great changes in direction.

There is a twitched-up athleticism to Rolder, and he can fly around the field with good range horizontally and vertically. When in pursuit, he really shines with his tenacity and speed in chasing down the ball carrier.

When working laterally, Rolder stays in phase and looks for the opening to shoot the gap and make a play. He can also work downhill between the tackles, taking on blocks or finding space and sorting the trash to make a play. His tackling technique is clean and efficient, where he squares up, wraps, and drives through the ball carrier.

There is instant-impact special-teams play with Rolder to contribute while he develops as a defender. His range in coverage is among the top in the class, and he can be quick to trigger outside against screens or throws to the flat. The smoothness of flipping and carrying weapons down the seam is also there.

Cons

There isn’t much length with Rolder, which leads to issues getting caught on blocks. He can also add a bit more mass and strength to his frame to limit pushback when he does get engaged. There can be issues sorting through the trash with some unnatural feel for blocks developing.

Rolder has a serious lack of experience, with 11 starts and just over 900 snaps, over 500 of them coming in 2025. The lack of experience is clear, and he doesn’t have the natural feel, awareness, or instincts you want to see. The flashes are great, and he has a ton to work with, but developing him to get there could take time.

Rolder's lack of length creates issues when attacking the catch point. He also has a habit of playing a little recklessly or out of control in coverage, as if there is a panic in his movements stemming from a lack of experience. Part of the lack of experience stems from injuries that led to time missed.

Fit With the Broncos

Rolder is one of the better fits for the Broncos as he is a developmental piece that could contribute on special teams as a rookie. He coul dwork as a depth piece behind Strnad and Singleton as the coaches work to develop him into a potential replacement for one of them in the starting lineup after a year or two.

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