2023 NFL Draft Profile: EDGE Lukas Van Ness

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A native of Barrington, Illinois, Lukas Van Ness appeared in parts of two seasons for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He would redshirt during his true freshman season. Afterwards, Van Ness would go on to play in 27 games over the last two seasons. His experience as a starter is still relatively low. Overall, Iowa used him as a rotational defensive lineman in each of those final two years. Across those seasons, Van Ness registered a combined 19.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks.

Top Strengths

Motor

Despite his general lack of experience, Lukas Van Ness can win one-on-one battles with his hot motor alone. His relentlessness in spots can catch opponents off guard. That is true not just for opposing offensive linemen, but for opposing quarterbacks as well. Additionally, Van Ness can create stops in many dirty areas all over the field with his motor. He can find a second gear to chase down outside running plays on the opposite side of the field with backside pursuit. Of course, that second gear can also lead to pressure or hurries against passers on elongated plays.

Power At The Point Of Attack

The growth and variety of Lukas Van Ness is still needed as a pass rusher going forward. Yet, the way in which he can win with power is a huge boost for him, given where his game is at right now. Van Ness impressively works through contact by converting speed to power efficiently. Whereas with his ability to reduce rush angles and functional strength, the former Hawkeye can displace offensive linemen when he wants to. Van Ness is just scratching the surface on being able to physically wear down opponents upfront.

Length

The arm length of Lukas Van Ness (34″) can help win many reps that appear to be an early struggle, so to speak. Even if he is stifled with his get off at the snap, this defender can work through blockers by swimming and swiping his way through traffic. As he continues to grow, Van Ness will be able to utilize his length to make adjustments as a pass rusher. Knowing when to shift to the inside shoulder or adjusting his pass rush arc will eventually materialize over time. Thankfully for Van Ness, he has a strong foundation to improve upon that with his massive length.

Areas Of Improvement

Run Defending

There were a lot of reps against the opponent’s run game where Lukas Van Ness was simply nonexistent. Getting off of blocks was a major struggle. Van Ness can also get his wires crossed in traffic, to boot. As he continues to get more experience, the hope is that this defender can read and recognize blocking techniques and play direction quicker. Meanwhile, Van Ness can get lost in no man’s land by taking too steep of angles upfield or in the open field. The better his pursuit angles, the more production Van Ness will have against the run.

Pass Rush Repertoire

This is where the rawness of Lukas Van Ness really stands out. Building a more fluid and effective pass rush repertoire is vital for him during his upcoming rookie season. From a hand counter perspective, Van Ness actually has a couple of moves that he appears to like. The swipe and club moves stood out immediately from watching his games. Though, finding a secondary move and building more weapons in his hand counter arsenal are paramount. There are moments where Van Ness just looks to bull rush through somebody, and he gets stopped in his tracks. Simply put, he will have to continue to incorporate a more thorough plan of attack with his pass rush, outside of just hand counters.

Flexibility

When working off the line of scrimmage at the snap, Lukas Van Ness can be stiff in his lower half. It can take him a while to get up to full speed on some reps. On the other hand, Van Ness can struggle with working crisply or smoothly when going laterally. The Iowa product does not benefit consistently from a dependable anchor or pad level. Ideally, Van Ness will have to improve on staying condensed and lower at the point of attack. Given that he is not super flexible, Van Ness will likely look to be more balanced and grounded with his lower half at the NFL level, so to speak.

Ideal Role

Lukas Van Ness appears to be someone who could fit in any defensive scheme. If you want to eventually have him start as a defensive end in a base 4-3 defense, he would be fine. You could also do no wrong by utilizing Van Ness as a 5-tech in a 3-4 base defense. With him still needing time to refine his game, Van Ness could be best suited to join an aggressive style of defense that loves to pressure and blitz more often than not.

Potential Fits

There is certainly potential for Lukas Van Ness to be a first-round pick come April. A couple of teams in the back half of round one could make sense. For starters, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be a fine landing spot for Van Ness. Outside of youngsters Logan Hall and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Tampa Bay is lacking in notable options at EDGE defender in the pass rush. On the flip side, the New Orleans Saints could also make sense in the NFC South. They have traditionally invested in defensive linemen of Van Ness’ size and length. With more bodies and production needed in New Orleans, the Saints could be in on Van Ness.

Finally, the Houston Texans could be a landing spot, if Van Ness is there early in round two. New head coach DeMeco Ryans will want to build up his pass rush as quick as possible. And obviously, Houston needs to fortify the trenches moving forward.

Be on the lookout for more FPC 2023 NFL Draft prospect profiles throughout the next month. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.