The day after the Washington Commanders declined defensive end Chase Young’s fifth-year option, a new mock draft selects a potential replacement.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com projects Iowa defensive end Lukas Van Ness to the Commanders at No. 16 overall in his final draft.
With Washington declining Chase Young’s fifth-year option, this might be the perfect spot to add a big, explosive defensive end to groom as Young’s potential replacement in 2024.
If Washington had picked up Young’s fifth-year option, a defensive end was still a possibility with Montez Sweat and Washington’s top three backups [James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill & Efe Obada] all free agents in 2024.
Van Ness is an intriguing prospect. The 6-foot-5, 276-pounder had an outstanding performance at the NFC combine coming off two impressive years at Iowa. Many believe Van Ness’ best football is ahead of him.
The Commanders would like to trade back, but offensive line and cornerback remain the best bets for Washington if it remains at No. 16.