The NFL Combine can often make or break draft prospects’ NFL futures with how they perform. There are all sorts of eyes on them, pressure on them, and expectations to deliver on years of work leading to one moment.
Lukas Van Ness of the Iowa Hawkeyes didn’t flinch in the moment. In fact, he went and took advantage of the opportunity to perform in front of NFL teams as the 2023 NFL draft approaches.
Due to that, CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards deemed Van Ness as one of the NFL Combine’s day one stars.
Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness is a player who has received a lot of buzz of late, and that will continue with a strong performance in Indianapolis. Van Ness ran a 4.58 seconds 40-yard dash with a 1.64 second split, as well as a 7.02 three-cone drill. For a player built on strength, Van Ness showed that he has the flexibility and athleticism to become more once he develops a more regimented pass rush plan. – Edwards, CBS Sports.
It remains to be seen if Van Ness will choose to test again at Iowa’s Pro Day following this outing. He will have the chance should teams ask for it, or he could simply choose to focus on position-specific drill work to show his talents in more game-like situations.
Either way, Van Ness’ performance at the NFL Combine did one thing and that is cementing him as a future first-round draft pick in just a few short weeks.
Van Ness registered 38 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks during the 2022 season with Iowa. Over the course of 27 games played during the past two years with Iowa, Van Ness recorded a total of 71 career tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks.
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