BYU's 'Next Ziggy': Kyle Van Noy

He won't be under the radar like Ziggy Ansah, but in terms of playmaking punch and professional potential, BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy Kyle Van Noy is next in line as a likely first-round NFL draft pick.

A member of the Cougars' 2009 recruiting class that also produced receiver Cody Hoffman, Van Noy joined Bronco Mendenhall's program the following season, and although he started only two games a freshman, by the end of that season he was tied for second on the team in tackles for loss. An impact player was born.

Van Noy's sophomore campaign saw him start eight of 13 games, but his defensive numbers ended up looking like those of an every-snap player.

In 2012, Van Noy started every game and was seemingly in on every big defensive play, leading BYU by a wide margin in tackles for loss, sacks, quarterback hurries and forced fumbles. He is the only player in the Football Bowl Subdivision to have recorded results in every defensive statistical category each of the last two seasons.

Ranking fifth nationally in sacks and sixth in tackles for loss last season, Van Noy in 2012 set BYU's single-season and career records in tackles for loss and fumbles forced, and has already set the BYU career mark for defensive touchdowns scored. He has at least one defensive touchdown in all three of his seasons at BYU.

Van Noy's performance in the 2012 Poinsettia Bowl was the most dominant defensive outing in the entire bowl season, with his efforts helping BYU became the only one of 70 FBS bowl teams not to allow a touchdown in its postseason game.

Against San Diego State on its home turf, Van Noy outscored the Aztecs by himself, recording a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to help BYU come from behind for the 23-6 victory. His final stat line for the game showed eight tackles, including 3.5 stops for loss, 1.5 sacks, a fumble forced, a fumble recovered (for touchdown), an interception (for touchdown) and a blocked kick.

Van Noy is a popular pick as a 2013 preseason All-American, already tabbed as a First Team selection by the Sporting News, Athlon, Lindy's and Phil Steele. He has been named to the Lott Trophy (defensive player of the year) watch list and will certainly be included on Butkus Award (nation's best linebacker), Bednarik (defensive player of the year) and Bronko Nagurski Award (most outstanding defensive player) watch lists when they are released in July.

NFL draft experts foresee the Reno, Nev. native as a first-round selection next May; CBS Sports.com ranks Van Noy as the No. 3 NFL Draft prospect at outside linebacker and No. 15 prospect overall, while ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr. also ranks Van Noy as the nation's third-best OLB, calling him "an explosive football player...certainly a very dominant collegiate player." In his first 2014 "Big Board", Kiper ranked Van Noy 23rd overall, noting that Van Noy "is an impressive pass-rusher who plays with max effort, often chasing down plays other defenders would have been out of." USA Today named Van Noy as one of 15 players who could be first-round picks next season.

One recent breakdown by a draft analyst covering the Buffalo Bills speculated that Van Noy "looks like a top-15 draft pick who should have a very good shot of going in the top 10 or even in the top five like his former teammate Ansah did in 2013.".

In other words, Kyle Van Noy really could be "The Next Ziggy."

Here's a look at Van Noy in action from 2012 (courtesy of BYU Football Video), followed by his three-season statistical profile.

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