Midway through the 2016 campaign, the New England Patriots acquired linebacker Kyle Van Noy in a trade with the Detroit Lions. He started just two games for the Patriots that season, but the following year, Van Noy became a full-time starter and has held that role ever since.
New England head coach Bill Belichick loves the job Van Noy has done, saying he has been a great fit in Foxborough:
“Kyle’s done a good job for us,” Belichick said, according to Carlos Monarrez of The Detroit Free Press. “Kyle’s a versatile player. He fits well into our scheme. The scheme that he was in before I think was maybe not as good a fit for him, similar to when we got [linebacker Rosevelt Colvin] from the Bears. Sometimes some players fit in one situation and one scheme a little bit better than others.”
Van Noy is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he played all 16 games and finished with 92 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, a couple of fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdowns, but it wasn't always this easy for him.
The 28-year-old, who played his collegiate football at BYU, was originally selected by the Lions in the second round (40th pick overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft but logged just 13 tackles over his first two seasons.
He then went on to make seven starts for Detroit in 2016 but registered a mere 23 tackles before being dealt to the Patriots.
Now, Van Noy is a key player on a Super Bowl defense.
Follow Us
Subscribe