Lukas Van Ness DRAFT PROFILE – 2023 NFL DRAFT
Lukas Van Ness NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT INTRODUCTION
Lukas Van Ness, a three star recruit, attended Barrington High School before enrolling at Iowa.
During his freshman year in 2021, Van Ness played in 14 games and logged 462 snaps for the Hawkeyes. He made 18 tackles, 7 assists, and 14 stops, while also contributing 28 total pressures as a pass rusher, including 14 QB hurries, 10 QB hits, and four sacks.
In his sophomore season for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2022, Van Ness participated in 12 games and played 458 snaps. He recorded 15 tackles, 11 assists, and 18 stops, while excelling as a pass rusher with 43 total pressures, including 29 QB hurries, 6 QB hits, and an impressive 8 sacks.
In 2020, he redshirted, and in 2021, he played mostly as an interior defensive lineman, but transitioned to primarily playing on the edge during spring practices in 2022.
Lukas Van Ness DRAFT PROFILE
Van Ness possesses exceptional functional strength, enabling him to convert speed to power and overpower blockers. He is highly effective at bull rushing and collapsing the pocket, thanks to his plus length, timing, and functional power, which puts pressure on opposing offensive linemen.
Lukas Van Ness is widely viewed as a first round grade despite the fact that he never officially had a college start. The Iowa defensive lineman was used in rotation, but did get plenty of snaps so there is more than enough film to adequately judge his game and talent.
Lukas Van Ness 40 yard dash- 4.81 SECONDS
Lukas Van Ness NFL DRAFT PLAYER COMPARISON- George Karlaftis
SCOUTING REPORT- STRENGTHS
Van Ness is surprisingly agile, exhibiting burst and flexibility to get off the ball, turn corners, flatten, and close gaps. While he played as a B-gap defender in 2021, he has now moved to the edge, but still has opportunities to reduce inside.
Van Ness’s ability to play both inside and outside should make him a versatile fit for NFL defensive lines that utilize multiple fronts. As a high-ceiling prospect, he is only beginning to realize his potential as a defensive playmaker.
He is almost like a laboratory built defensive lineman wut high functional power output and quantifiably elite raw power. The raw talent is so elite that it makes up for a peculiar Iowa career in which he didn’t start a single game.
He relied heavily on his arm length and sheer force in the bull rush at Iowa. His athleticism will translate really well in the NFL, but he’s a potential blue chip prospect and Van Ness grades as a first round pick because scouts see what he could be with development and improved technique. He’s a potential star and a valuable chess piece in a defense thanks to his coveted versatility.
SCOUTING REPORT- WEAKNESSES
Despite his considerable talent and first round grade, Van Ness has yet to start a game for the Hawkeyes’ defense, although he has received substantial playing time in a rotational role.
Van Ness has all the necessary power, length, and movement skills to excel as a run defender, but he needs to work on recognizing blocks better and fitting runs consistently. He’s a versatile prospect and has the dynamic athleticism to develop into a force when it comes to run defense, but he’ll need some NFL defensive line coaching to make it happen.
Van Ness is a solid pass rusher, but he must expand his repertoire of moves to maximize his length and power. He will become even more effective as he becomes more proficient at reading blockers and his technique becomes more instinctive. The bull rush was a big part of his success at Iowa, but he needs to add more moves to his arsenal off the edge and improve his hand usage.
Lukas Van Ness NFL DRAFT SUMMARY
Van Ness has the potential to be an impact starter in the NFL and has a high ceiling for development. His relative inexperience on the edge makes him even more exciting as a prospect, given his considerable room for growth.
Van Ness is one of the more interesting and therefore highly debatble prospects in the upcoming 2023 NFL draft. The Iowa star will greatly benefit from playing time and reps over the course of his rookie season. He has the talent to be an impact player out of the gate, but more than likely will need to play through most of his first season before he hits his stride.
Plus Side:
- Explosive athlete with great build up speed and foot quickness
- Outstanding bull rush and arm length
- Potential to be a defensive weapon
Negatives:
- Unpolished edge rusher
- Needs to improve against the rush
- Not as quick with change of direction
Van Ness is our 24th ranked overall prospect in the 2023 NFL draft. He’s the 6th ranked defensive lineman and 4th ranked defensive end/edge rusher.