Winslow Townson, Associated Press
Kevin Duffy of Mass Live ranked the breakout star candidates for the New England Patriots heading into the 2017 season, and former BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy made the list at No. 3.
Speaking of Van Noy, Mark Humphrey wrote, "In terms of athleticism and versatility, Van Noy is the best fit next to Hightower. He isn't Jamie Collins, but he can do similar things. He'll surely be a part of the team's third-down packages in 2017, and could find early-down work against some opponents (this also depends on how much the Patriots want to play Dont'a Hightower and David Harris together).