Kiper, Jr. begins his Van Noy watch


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Kyle Van Noy has already decided, 'Should I stay or should I go', as he returns for his senior season.

Just weeks after the NFL draft has ended, NFL pundit Mel Kiper Jr. has Van Noy on his watch-list.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound superstar linebacker was an All-American as a junior with 13 sacks and 22 tackles for loss, but perhaps the most impressive stat was his six forced fumbles.

After BYU had gone two consecutive drafts without having a player drafted (2011-12), defensive end Ziggy Ansah broke the streak with a top-five selection by the Lions in this year's draft, but that number would have been doubled if not tripled had Kyle Van Noy and Cody Hoffman decided to enter the NFL draft after their junior years.

A difficult decision at the moment, but now the hype begins. An entire season of mock-drafts and top-player lists are coming and Van Noy just made ESPN Mel Kiper's Top-25 Big Board, settling in at number 23.

*"Another player who would have factored into the first-round discussion in the 2013 draft, Van Noy is an impressive pass-rusher who plays with max effort, often chasing down plays other defenders would have been out of. He moves pretty well in coverage, but could get stronger to improve his leverage at the point of attack."*-Mel Kiper, Jr.

Van Noy is rated the third-best outside linebacker, behind UCLA's Anthony Barr (5) and Alabama's Adrian Hubbard (12).

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