Kyle Van Noy ‘went from the toilet bowl, to the Super Bowl’ when Lions traded him to Patriots

kyle van noy

New England Patriots' Kyle Van Noy celebrates after the NFL Super Bowl 53 football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, in Atlanta. The Patriots won 13-3. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)AP

Kyle Van Noy has come a long way since the Detroit Lions traded him to the New England Patriots for almost nothing. After joining the Patriots partway through the 2016 season, Van Noy was developed into one of the Patriots’ most important defenders.

Van Noy, who was unfairly given the label of “draft bust” in Detroit, has now gone to three straight Super Bowls and come away with two Lombardi Trophies. That’s a big shift coming from the Lions, an organization that’s still yet to make its first Super Bowl.

So, what’s it like going from Detroit to New England? Van Noy summed it up during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast.

Van Noy: “I’m gonna repeat what my friend said so I don’t get in trouble. He’s like ‘You went from the toilet bowl, to the Super Bowl.’”

PMT: “Is your friend also named Kyle Van Noy? That’s what this is?”

Van Noy: “That was KVN. This is Kyle Van Noy. I’ve got like double personas.”

Van Noy had a disappointing start to his career as a second-round draft pick in Detroit. After logging a total of 13 tackles over his first two seasons, Van Noy finally emerged as a starter in Detroit early in 2016. But partway through the season, the Lions deemed him expendable, shipping him off to New England. The return? The Lions moved up from an early seventh-round draft drack to the end of the sixth round -- almost nothing in terms of value.

Van Noy admitted to Pardon My Take that he was a little apprehensive about coming to New England, fearing that he might be stuck on the bench behind incumbent linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins.

So what changed when he got to New England? The Patriots had a plan for what to do with him -- something the Lions coaching staff seemingly didn’t have.

"Then when I got there, it was like, they had a plan for me it seemed like. Then that plan got bigger with how I played. With that being said, I didn’t know that to begin with because I’d been in Detroit, where I was kind of told ‘We don’t know where to put you.’ And I’m like, ‘Why did you draft me?’ I had my own coach telling me ‘I don’t know where to put you.’”

Since arriving in New England, Van Noy has emerged as a versatile part of the Patriots defense, developing as a pass rusher and off-ball linebacker. He showed his value in the passing game in the playoffs this past season, recording three sacks between the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.

Van Noy’s arrival in New England has resulted in a collection of colorful stories, like his first-ever interaction with Tom Brady, which resulted in Van Noy telling his quarterback “You’re and idiot.”

“I’m washing my hands or whatever and I get done and Tom comes up and kind of shakes my hand like ‘Hi, I’m Tom Brady.’ I’m like, ‘You’re an idiot. Of course,’" Van Noy said. “I kind of told him ‘My name is Kyle Van Noy.’ But those little things is why he is where he’s at. Those little things that people don’t pay attention to, those detailed things, that just separates him. He’s really good for what he does. He’s very detailed and that’s what makes him Tom.”

Van Noy is set to continue his time in his current Super Bowl environment. He turned 28 in March and has one more year left on his current deal with the Patriots.

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