Five questions on Kyle Van Noy with Vanquish The Foe

To get to know Detroit Lions second-round pick Kyle Van Noy, an outside linebacker from BYU, I sent five questions to Russell Cragun from Vanquish The Foe, SB Nation's Cougars blog. Here's a look at what he had to say about Van Noy:

1. The Lions plan to play Van Noy as an every-down outside linebacker, but they are also hoping that he will be able to rush the passer. Van Noy seemingly did a good job in this role in college considering he finished his career with 26.0 sacks, but how would you evaluate his skills as a pass rusher?

Kyle Van Noy has a very good presence for finding and catching the quarterback. While he was at BYU, he was constantly blitzing the quarterbacks and applying pressure. These situations would cause turnovers or costly plays that he was not accredited for statistically. He is very skilled as an outside rusher and able to cut sharp corners around tight ends and tackles. This will really come in handy when the Lions face Aaron Rodgers twice a year and other quarterbacks like Jay Cutler.

2. As an every-down outside linebacker, Van Noy will also be dropping back and defending the pass quite a bit. How is he in coverage?

Van Noy's coverage skills are decent but will need to improve quite a bit while facing some of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL. He is good at covering slot receivers over the middle and is really good at playing the tip drill and keeping his eye on the ball. He caused a lot of broken-up passes over the middle and does a really good job reading the quarterback's eyes.

3. What one play from Van Noy's career at BYU best exemplifies his abilities as a linebacker?

It's really hard to claim one play from Kyle Van Noy's college career that defines him as a linebacker. However, the one game that really got him on the map was the Poinsettia Bowl against San Diego State. He had a blocked punt, a couple sacks, a forced fumble and a couple touchdowns.

4. What kind of person are the Lions getting in Van Noy off the field?

The Lions are getting an extremely classy person and someone who the community will love. KVN did get into a little bit of trouble before his college playing days but matured quickly at BYU and always gave back to the community. Lions fans do not have to worry about him getting into trouble off the field and can probably find him at church on Sundays.

5. How excited are BYU fans about Van Noy being reunited with Ziggy Ansah in Detroit? Are there suddenly a lot more Lions fans in Utah?

BYU fans were ecstatic about KVN joining the Lions and being reunited with Ziggy. Utah does not have their own NFL team and a lot of people out here are 49ers fans because of Steve Young (BYU quarterback). So I will not be surprised if I start seeing more people wearing Lions shirts or seeing bumper stickers.