Kyle Van Noy had been miscast after he was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft and was traded to the New England Patriots midway through last season in need of a fresh start.
Nick Vigil had to earn time behind Cincinnati Bengals veterans, generating only 21 tackles over 16 games as a rookie in 2016.
Bobby Wagner was the seventh linebacker taken in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks after a senior season at Utah State where he amassed 147 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions.
Despite sputtering or undervalued starts to their careers, after the 10th week of the NFL season, all three have asserted themselves as defensive stars for their respective teams.
Vigil, in his second season, has played the most snaps of anyone on the Bengals roster with 647 (99.54 percent) of the team’s defensive plays and 86 (34.82 percent) of the special teams snaps. Last week against the Tennessee Titans, he played a mind-boggling 90 defensive snaps and 12 special teams snaps — racking up three tackles and five assists to bring his tackle total to 72 this season.
Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore (23) is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker Nick Vigil (59) in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Gary Landers)
Wagner has made a case to be the NFL’s defensive player of the year, playing a team-high 607 (99.35 percent) of the Seahawks’ defensive snaps and 38 (14.39 percent) of Seattle’s special teams snaps. He has 84 combined tackles this season, second most in the league.
The former Aggie is the highest rated linebacker by Pro Football Focus this season and shines both in stopping the run and rushing the passer. Both Wagner and Vigil were rated as top 10 linebackers in pass-rush productivity by PFF Thursday — at No. 4 and No. 9 respectively.
Van Noy has found a home in Bill Belichick’s system, playing 568 defensive snaps (96.11 percent) and 63 special teams snaps (23.95 percent) for the Patriots this season.
Steven Senne | The Associated Press. New England Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy, left, tackles Houston Texans tight end Ryan Griffin during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass.
After generating only one sack and 45 tackles in two and a half seasons with Detroit, he has 3.5 sacks and 60 tackles in nine games this season with New England.
In a Patriots conference call Monday, Van Noy said the Patriots have put him in a position to succeed.
“I feel like in other systems, they try to conform you into what they wanted,” Van Noy said. “I think here they let me play to my strengths and love what I do.”
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