Lukas Van Ness DT Iowa: Scouting Report

Height: 6’4

Weight: 275

Overall

Lukas Van Ness is a big, raw, and explosive defensive lineman in Iowa’s 4-3 defense. He began his career as a defensive tackle before transitioning to defensive end prior to this last season. In his 3 seasons with the Hawkeyes, he played in 27 games with 0 starts due to him being used primarily on a rotation. He has excellent size and strength, but he lacks the bend and athleticism to play on the edge and he is best suited to play on the interior at the next level.

Pass Game

As a pass rusher off the edge, Van Ness shows little to no pass rush repertoire with him using a bull-rush as his only move on film. He has excellent power and strong hands allowing him to occasionally collapse the pocket and get to the quarterback when bull-rushing, but when that does not work he struggles getting off blocks and making a consistent impact. His lack of athleticism will make it very difficult for him to consistently rush off the edge but he can excel as a rotational edge rusher on designed packages. When playing on the inside, he continues to use his strength to collapse the pocket but his lack of lateral mobility makes it difficult for him to fight off blocks once he loses his momentum after initial contact. 

Run Game

In the run game, Van Ness has the size and power to eat up space along the interior but he needs to develop his football IQ and vision to better locate the ball-carrier and make stops at the line of scrimmage rather than a few yards up the field. He has excellent power in his hands to push his man off the line of scrimmage which can blow up inside runs. He plays with a very good motor and shows good pursuit down the field to make plays. He continues to show a lack of hand technique to get off blocks and he struggles to create separation even against tight ends and H backs causing him to get washed out of the play on outside runs.

Last Word

Van Ness played primarily on the edge this past season but with his size, frame, and power he projects best as a 3-technique in a 4-3 defense or a 5-technique in a 3-4 defense. He is extremely raw but has a ton of potential with his physical intangibles.  While he lacks the athleticism to play on the edge, he is still a very good athlete for his size, and with a move to the interior he can better utilize that athleticism. He needs to vastly improve his football IQ and technique before he can be a consistent starter but if he can better control his power and high motor, he has the potential to be a very good defensive lineman in the NFL. He was also very successful on special teams at Iowa and can be an immediate starter in multiple units to begin his career.

One-Liner: Lukas Van Ness has remarkable potential but he is extremely raw but with a move to defensive tackle, he has the potential to grow into a very good lineman in the NFL.

Grade: 6.7 (Solid Starter on All 3 Downs)

Games Watched: 2022 - Ohio State, Michigan

Team Fits: Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks