The New England Patriots didn’t wait until the Nov. 1 trade deadline to swing a midseason deal.
The Patriots acquired linebacker Kyle Van Noy and a seventh-round pick from the Detroit Lions for a sixth-round pick, ESPN’s Field Yates and James Walker reported Tuesday.
The Lions drafted Van Noy out of BYU in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He has 39 tackles with one sack and one pass breakup in 30 games in three seasons.
The 6-foot-3, 243-pound linebacker has started all seven games for the Lions so far this season, recording 23 tackles. He’s graded out as a 43.4 out of 100 on Pro Football Focus. He was best in pass coverage, per PFF.
Van Noy piled up 25 sacks in college, including a 13-sack season in 2012.
This is the third consecutive year in which the Patriots have acquired at least one linebacker through a trade during the season. They dealt for Jonathan Casillas and Akeem Ayers in 2014 and Jon Bostic in 2015. Lions general manager Bob Quinn previously served in the Patriots’ scouting department.
Van Noy joins Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Elandon Roberts, Shea McClellin, Rob Ninkovich and Barkevious Mingo on the Patriots’ depth chart. The Patriots placed linebacker Jonathan Freeny on injured reserve prior to Week 6.
Van Noy also could contribute on special teams, where he has played 85 snaps this season.
Thumbnail photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images
