(2023)Lukas Van Ness-EDGE/DE-Iowa
Lukas Van Ness
EDGE
6’5, 275
RS Sophomore
2022 Statistics (Per PFF)
*(Ranking is out of the 241 EDGEs with 200+ pass rushing snaps this season)
Write-Up:
Lukas Van Ness is a high-upside pass rusher who was an Iowa Hawkeye for 3 seasons (1 fully redshirted season). He was never an every-down starter for the Hawkeyes, and was a rotational pass rusher. Despite his relatively low playing time, Van Ness was extremely productive this season, finishing as a top-30 edge rusher in sacks, pressures and hurries. At Iowa, Van Ness was deployed in a variety of roles but mainly played as a standard 5-technique or 4i defensive end. He also saw a lot of action as an interior defender, in 3-tech or even some nose tackle reps. He stayed fully healthy during his time at Iowa.
Van Ness may have one of the highest ceilings of any edge player in the 2023 class. He possesses elite power and consistently creates pressure simply by driving blockers backwards. This extended to high levels of competition, as he gave top 2023 tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and Peter Skoronski fits when they matched up. Van Ness converts his burst and speed off the line of scrimmage directly into a dominant bull rush. Despite being a one-trick pony as of right now, he has the athleticism to potentially develop a deep arsenal of pass rush moves that can turn him into a much more well-rounded player. In the run game, his strength makes him an extremely hard person to move out of the way, and he often clogs up run gaps by just simply being impossible to move. Van Ness is a very physical player and can deliver some extremely violent blows when given the opportunity to.
As mentioned above, there is so much room for Van Ness to grow simply because he does not have the experience at the collegiate level to likely come into the NFL right away and find immediate success. He has played 2 seasons of college football, and limited snaps in each season at that. Every aspect needs some cleaning up to some degree, from his hand placement, footwork and play recognition. Currently, Van Ness really only thrives as a rusher with his bull rush, and does not have other options to turn to if this is stopped. He plays with little to no finesse.
With all that being said, Lukas Van Ness has the potential upside to become an elite pass rusher in the NFL. He should be given plenty of time and room to grow his game, as a lot of development needs to happen for him to get there. But his strength, speed and bend are almost too enticing to pass up and not try and develop. If everything goes right, Van Ness could easily become a premier defensive end in the league, but there is a degree of risk with taking him very early.
Draft Projection: Round 2-3
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