Lukas Van Ness

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	Lukas Van Ness	Iowa	RS Sophomore
2	Report in Blog Format:	https://camalytics.blogspot.com/2023/01/2023-nfl-draft-lukas-van-ness-iowa.html
3
4	Positional Rank:	Grade:	Height:	Weight:	2022 Pass Rush Win Rate:	2022 Run-Stop Rate:
5	7	Early Second	6'5"	276	18.80%	5.00%
6
7	Career Stats:	Tackles	Assisted Tackles	Sacks	Tackles for Loss	Hurries
8	2022	17	20	6	10.5	31
9	2021	17	16	7	8.5	14
10
11	Overview:
12	Strengths:	Notes:
13	Bull Rush	He looks like he is pushing a sled with an acute body angle and great length. He has the strength and motor to drill his opponent backwards in the pass rush. He has good hand placement and strength, using grip too put his opponent where he wants him.
14	Power Rush Technique	His rips and push-pulls leave guys on the ground. He uses his strength and bodyweight to throw them off balance with his combination of suddenness, hand placement and decisiveness with performing a specific move.
15	Pure Aggression	The violence and ferocity with which he attacks his opponent is astounding. His powerful steps, strong hands, and suddenness of initial contact make him difficult to block on every play.
16
17	Weaknesses:	Notes:
18	Run Defense	Van Ness just does not get the push in run defense. He does not understand how to penetrate slant blocks, and gets redirected easily. He is incredibly aggressive at the line, but this causes him to engage his opponent long enough for the halfback to go right by him before he can pull off of the block.
19	Balance	He ends up on the ground a lot, and it is not just because of how he dives after a quarterback. He is pushed down onto his face when his bull rush angle is too acute and the offensive lineman can get on his shoulders. After changing direction, he occasionally staggers. There are reps on his tape of him getting pushed to the ground by players considerably weaker than he is.
20	Closing Speed	His burst off the line is solid with his timing and a powerful first step, but his open field acceleration is lacking. With a 4.8 40 and average acceleration in the pocket, he will not often chase down the more mobile quarterbacks in the NFL.
21
22	Film:
23	Game:	Takeaways:
24	Ohio State (10/22/2022)	Dropped front foot on slight false step. Violent hands. Doubled. Decent body angle on initial contact. Locked by tackle in run game. Bull was effective against Paris Johnson, but initial burst would have been better without false step. Efficient arm-over, and pursuit of run from behind. Hard and immediate contact at line. Locked in run game one-on-one again. Quick feet for size. Rip is effective when committing. Good acceleration off the edge. Violent contact off line, looking to bull on most plays. Paris Johnson consistently takes him out of every run play. Motor is insane. Grabs pads of opposing tackle and just runs through him. 34" arms are good for the position, but Paris Johnson clearly has a length advantage. Good effort in open field, but not as comfortable. Not a full time starter. Tight end holding him back in run game. Pushed down quickly from too acute of an angle. Locked up entirely in one-on-one on pass rush. If he cannot outmuscle his opponent, he is considerably less successful. Mix of two and three point stances. Ran through the guard. Very technical push-pull. Proceeded to lose balance to the running back. Raw strength may not translate as well to the NFL.
25	Iowa State (09/10/2022)	Great motor in bull at 3-tech. Looks like he is pushing the sled. Used length very effectively in single arm rush against backup right tackle. Pretty much no bend in his game. Trouble pulling off of block. Not getting push on left tackle. Does not navigate to the inside on run plays as well. Gets held up in one-on-ones too often for comfort. Poor balance. Locked up again. Same bull rush almost every play. Good motor from A-gap, but not nose tackle by any means. Is not quick to pull off blocks in run game. Surprisingly poor run defender for his size. Decent hand placement. Solid get-off, but not overly twitchy. Excellent rip on guard to blow up inside run. One of the most aggressive players at the line in this class. Bullied in run game. Humiliated guard in power rush up the middle. Pushed him on his back with one hand. Good push-pull technique. Significantly less effective if pushed upright.
26	Michigan (10/01/2022)	Little slow off the line. Not full extension on bull, but still got push in pass rush. Upright on run defense. Driven back again in run defense. False step from two point, bringing foot slightly back. Good hand usage. Less powerful out of his two point stance, stemming from a false step and more upright angle at times. Struggles to pull off of block in run game. Lost balance on his own. Too acute of an angle again for power rush. Not playing many snaps. Conversion of speed to power not as strong here. Good leg motor, but drive is not as strong. Completely locked on block in run game. Looks lost trying to pull off. Good single arm extension. Long arm may be his most effective move. Good strength one-on-one from 3-tech. Powerful bull rush to collapse pocket. Quick feet with mediocre lateral agility. Leg drive is very impressive. Cannot get off blocks in run game. Excellent use of length on nearly every pass rush play.
27
28	Alignment
29	A-Gap	Too small for A-gap.
30	B-Gap	Van Ness could realistically play 3-tech if he gained about 20lbs, which is entirely possible. A bit of strength would help in his power rush from any position. As it stands, he is undersized for a defensive tackle.
31	4/5-Tech	He can play defensive end on multiple fronts. He holds 276lbs extremely well, and could likely gain a lot more weight if he needed to play inside. As it stands, he is a solid 4-3 end with pass rush upside. He could probably slot into a 3-4 end position as well, but he should add a bit of mass if he is going to live there.
32	Edge	His burst from a two point stance is decent, but not as good as it is from three point. While he looks fairly comfortable from the edge, he should not be asked to drop back in coverage very often. In 3-4 schemes, he is better suited to play up front, but possesses the versatility to be moved around if needed.
33	Off-Ball	Will not play off-ball in the NFL.
34
35	Attributes (at a glance):		Grade / 10:	Notes:
36	Attributes	Bend	2	Van Ness has almost no bend around the outside.
37		Burst	9	Not overly twitchy, but great burst off the line at his size. Timing and leg drive are all that can be asked of someone that size. He has great speed to power linearly, but does not have the best acceleration for stunts after a lateral step.
38		Motor	10	His feet keep churning the entire play. It is easy to tell who he is on most reps because it looks like he is pushing a sled at full speed when initiating line contact.
39	Skillset	Pass Rush	8	Van Ness is an excellent power rusher, but he is less effective when the offensive lineman can handle his raw power. He has a great rip, push-pull, and long arm that he should use more often against stronger opponents.
40		Run Defense	5	He gets redirected more easily than he should at his size, and struggles to pull off of blocks and fill a gap.
41		Coverage	5.5	He can drop into coverage when needed, but does not look too comfortable in doing so.
42	Hands	Placement	9.5	He knows where to put his hands on almost every pass rush. His job is easier with only a couple of distinct pass rush moves, but his hand placement is excellent regardless. This would be a 10/10, but he allows larger opponents like Paris Johnson to get inside leverage on occasion without adjusting.
43		Effectiveness	9	He has strong hands that accentuate his 34" arms by getting proper hand placement and driving back his opponent. His hands are extremely effective, and one of the best overall parts of his game.
44		Quickness	8.5	He has reps throughout his tape of sudden violent hands that make him a threat far more than his standard bull rush. If he used his hands in this manner more, this grade would be significantly higher. His high end reps where his hands are not locked in place are often because of how quick and strong his hands are when punching back offensive lineman.
45	Line Control	Strength	8.5	He can drill through his man on the pass rush, but he does not always get more than his initial push against more stout competition. He also gets locked up and redirected too easily in the run game. Still very strong at the line, but still needs improvement here for his playstyle to be dominant in the NFL.
46	Line Control	Balance	3	Poor balance at the line. He is frequently reliant on opponent to stay upright with his lean. He tends to go more upright when he is not at an extreme angle due to balance issues, and just finds himself on the ground too often.
47	Pass-Rush Decisions	Versatility	6	His power rushes are excellent, but he lacks finesse despite having decent lateral movement for his size. If his opponents are stronger than he is, then Van Ness is significantly less effective when rushing the passer.
48		Technique	9	This grade is touch. His bull rush technique is excellent despite having relatively poor balance. His hands, angle, extension, and overall power is excellent. His push-pulls and rips are also very technical. This grade would be higher if he showed more skill when attempting to take the edge, but he occasionally tries to out-muscle his opponent without using agility that he has shown he has at his disposal. Seeing better technique throughout moves other than bulls, rips, and push-pulls would likely bolster this grade up to a 10/10.
49		Execution	8	His 18.8% pass rush win rate may be slightly misleading if teams expect him to be an every down defensive end. As almost exclusively a power rusher, his efficacy is reliant on his speed to power, hand placement, angles, and leg drive. When he gets fatigued, his leg drive clearly lessens, and he becomes less effective in the pass rush. This is likely one of the reasons he took so few snaps throughout the course of the season.
50	Traits	Agility	6.5	He has quick feet for his size, but does not displace much ground laterally. He appears to have better agility than he does due to his foot quickness, but rarely uses it to his advantage to get around linemen or pull off of blocks.
51		Athleticism	8	Very flexible with great movement skills at his size. He has quick feet and a great line release. The main inhibitors of this grade are open field movement skills, lateral quickness, and a lack of fluid body movements throughout his tape. He has all of the tools he needs for his playstyle, but is not as well-rounded of an athlete as some other edge defenders in this class.
52		Length	9	34" arms, and plays with excellent linear angles.
53
54	Final Scouting Report:
55	Lukas Van Ness is absolutely ferocious. His aggression and raw effort at the line with his size and strength make him one of the best power rushers in class. He attacks his opponent with strong hands and an acute body lean, as if he is pushing a sled. His leg drive makes his rush that much more powerful as he can continue to apply pressure even after initial contact. He has very clean technique on his bull rush, as well as his rips, push-pulls, and long arm when he elects to use them. Although he lacks pure speed and agility at the line, his powerful pass rush moves make him an absolute menace. There is a bit of worry with how much his skillset will translate to the NFL when up against significantly stronger competition. To maintain his current aggressive, violent, and smash-mouth playstyle, he is going to have to gain some strength. Luckily, the 21-year-old carries his 276lbs very well, and should be able to get significantly stronger over the next few years. He also will likely not be an every down player. On top of not being very effective in the run game, his pass rush moves require a ton of energy. He will need breaks if his bull rushes are going to be effective throughout a game, regardless of his conditioning. As only a sophomore, his tape has been very impressive. While he should get stronger and become a more effective power rusher with NFL experience, his particular skillset would only be worth a first round pick if his pressure numbers were through the roof. The rotational pass rusher certainly has a place in the NFL, and is well-deserved of an early day two pick. He just does not possess the versatility and every down skillset to elicit a first round grade.
56
57	Projections:
58	Likely	Van Ness will likely be drafted on day two, and become an a rotational pass rushing 4-3 defensive end in his first couple of seasons.
59	Optimal	The young power rusher adds to his pass rush arsenal and learns how to play the run game, becoming a solid all-around defensive end.
60	Pro Comparison	Za'Darius Smith. Van Ness is a significantly better prospect than Smith coming out. Smith was labeled a power-end only with excellent aggression and strong hands, while lacking straight-line speed and bend. Smith has become a great NFL pass rusher, and shows with his style of play a glimpse of what Van Ness could achieve given proper development.
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100