Welcome to the 14th daily installment of the NFL Draft 1-through-32 series on DK Pittsburgh Sports, intended to introduce you, a prospect at a time, to the top 32 players in the class on a consensus basis, leading right up to the main event.
That, of course, will be April 27-29, in Kansas City, Mo., though all 32 teams, including the Steelers on the South Side, will operate from their local headquarters.
NO. 14: LUKAS VAN NESS
Iowa defensive end
Van Ness is the No. 14-rated player on Pro Football Focus' big board. While his production might not jump off of the paper, Van Ness' measurables and his raw potential make for the prototypical development player as a defensive end.
COLLEGE BACKGROUND
Listed as a defensive tackle on Iowa's spring roster, the 21-year-old earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as an athletic pass rusher for the Hawkeyes. Van Ness had 38 total tackles and 11.0 for loss, and his 6.5 sacks tied for fourth in the Big Ten. (Wisconsin's Nick Herbig, the younger brother of Steelers offensive lineman Nate Herbig, led the Big Ten in sacks with 11.0.)
Van Ness' best game in 2022 came against Nevada in Week 3, in which he tallied eight total tackles, 2.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks. In two years at Iowa, Van Ness posted 71 total tackles, 19.5 for loss, with 13.5 sacks.
The Barrington, Ill., native was a consensus three-star recruit out of high school who chose Iowa among 29 offers in the class of 2020. Iowa. Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, and Minnesota were his lone Power Five offers. Despite this, he had attractive projectable traits coming out of high school at 6-foot-5, 240 pounds. He earned a comparison to NFL defensive end Maxx Crosby at the time because of how much potential there was within his build.
NFL COMBINE, PRO DAY
Van Ness ran the second-fastest three-cone drill and short shuttle drill among NFL Combine defensive ends in Indianapolis, at 7.02 seconds and 4.32 seconds, respectively. However, Van Ness did not test particularly well among his position mates in other regards. His 31-inch vertical was 10.5 inches shorter than the Combine leader, his 40-yard dash time of 4.58 seconds barely cracked the top 10, his 9-foot-10 broad jump was more than a foot shorter than the leader, and his 17 bench press reps were 14 fewer than the Combine leader.
At the Combine, Van Ness earned an NFL Next Gen Stats score of 76, seventh among defensive ends. His 6.40 prospect grade ("will become good starer within two years") ranked sixth among Combine defensive ends.
After the Combine, Van Ness earned an evaluation which praised his frame but had concerns of his technical abilities in the immediacy.
MOCK DRAFT
The USA Today mock draft consensus tracker has Van Ness going at No. 20 overall to Seattle, with an average draft slotting at 20.0. Our own latest mock draft has Van Ness going to Houston at No. 12.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE STEELERS' STANDPOINT
Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan attended Van Ness' pro day (which also included linebacker Jack Campbell, also an option for the Steelers early). That is not typically a regularly scheduled tour stop for the two, so they really must have interest in one or both of the Hawkeyes defenders. Van Ness could be in play at 17 and would make the Steelers' room of pass rushers an embarrassment of riches with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith leading the way.
COREY'S TAKE
That said, Van Ness (or any defensive end) would feel more as a luxury pick at 17 than anything. There are definitely larger needs on the team to address with that pick. He seems more like a project player than a Day 1 starter as of this moment, which could benefit the Steelers long term over the short term if they choose to go with that position with their first choice.
THE REST
You can view the rest of our 1-through-32 NFL Draft stories below.
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
2. Georgia DT Jalen Carter
3. Alabama DE Will Anderson Jr.
4. Kentucky QB Will Levis
5. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
6. Florida QB Anthony Richardson
7. Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
8. Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson
9. TCU WR Quentin Johnston
10. Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
11. Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski
12. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
13. Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
