There is still a lot of speculation on if the Minnesota Vikings will retain Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter into the 2023 season. Should they decide to move on, an edge rusher would become an immediate need. On Tuesday, CBS Sports writer Josh Edwards mocked the Vikings Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness.
“Would Minnesota prefer a more explosive edge rusher like Nolan Smith or a better run defender like Lukas Van Ness? Minnesota elects to pick Van Ness to learn from Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter.”
Edwards brings up a solid point: should the Vikings opt to keep Smith and Hunter, it would give Van Ness great veteran mentors to learn from as he acclimates to the NFL level. This move would be very forward-thinking, as an edge rusher is probably not the highest need, but depending on how the offseason unfolds, this move could quickly move up on the priority list.