Kyle Van Noy made his name as an outside linebacker in BYU's 3-4 base defense, but is getting to show off his range at the Reese's Senior Bowl.
Van Noy has worked out at linebacker and defensive end this week under Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley.
"It's hard," Van Noy told the College Football 24/7 podcast. "You got to learn a lot of assignments in a little amount of time. You learn something new everyday. You get to play with different players, learn different techniques from those players, and continue to improve."
Bradley's 4-3 alignment might actually be a good fit for Van Noy (6-foot-3, 245 pounds), as it will often employ a "Leo" or stand-up defensive end. That was the role Clay Matthews played at USC under Pete Carroll before transitioning to outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers.
Van Noy has the credentials to be a force behind the line of scrimmage at the next level, totaling 62 tackles for loss and 26 sacks in his college career. He also had 11 forced fumbles, seven interceptions and three blocked kicks for the Cougars.
"Just trying to be disruptive has been something I have done since I was little, and I have always tried to take it to the next step each time," Van Noy said.
And while Anthony Barr, Khalil Mack and C.J. Mosley have dominated the conversation at outside linebacker in the first round of mock drafts, Van Noy could end up having just as big an impact.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
