Edge rusher is one of many needs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2023 season, but could the team look to fill that need in the first round of the NFL draft?
For the Win’s Christian D’Andrea certainly seems to think so, as the site recently published a new mock draft that has the Bucs taking Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness in the first round.
Here is what D’Andrea wrote about the Bucs’ selection:
Shaq Barrett is 30 years old and played less than half the 2022 season thanks to injury. Van Ness can fill the void any age-related decline brings while giving the Bucs a dynamic 1-2 punch of young edge rushers alongside Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (four sacks, 14 quarterback hits in 2022).
Van Ness wasn’t a starter at Iowa but still chipped in seven sacks per season the last two years — all of which came in handy for an offense committed to World War I cosplay under Brian Ferentz. The guy looks like a Disney prince and has the strength to back that up, but his 4.5-second 40 speed at over 270 pounds suggests he’ll be able to win on the corners in the NFL. He’s a bit more of a gamble than similarly rated edge rushers like Myles Murphy or Will McDonald, but he’s got the potential to pay that off in a big way.
The Draft Network currently has Van Ness at a second-round value, so it might be surprising to see the Bucs take him at No. 19. Edge rusher is a significant need for the team, however, so it would be less surprising to see the team go with one in the first round if it really likes one. Van Ness is very talented and has played some tough competition, but his overall lack of experience is something that NFL GMs will ponder as draft night gets closer.
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