Another week, another mock draft with Iowa‘s Lukas Van Ness featured.
In Toddy McShay’s post-Super Bowl 2023 NFL mock draft, the ESPN draft analyst projects Lukas Van Ness to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 19th overall pick.
Without Tom Brady, it might be a different kind of season for the Buccaneers. Could they move up for a quarterback? It’s possible, though the free agent market offers a lot of options, and Kyle Trask is on the roster already. This could be a rebuilding year.
Shaquil Barrett should be returning from a torn Achilles, but the edge rush group could otherwise see a lot of turnover in free agency. Van Ness, meanwhile, never started a game at Iowa but managed back-to-back seasons with seven sacks. His length, quickness and power would be welcomed in Tampa Bay, where pressuring the QB is a big part of the team’s defensive identity. – McShay, ESPN.
Tampa Bay is a team that needs to get a lot younger at the pass rusher position, and it’s something they’ve started to work on in recent years. They selected Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in the first round back in 2021. However, the Washington product hasn’t quite lived up to expectations with only eight career sacks in two seasons with the Bucs.
Head Coach Todd Bowles himself even said the pass rush was not good enough for Tampa Bay this past year. As that article from Tampa Bay’s official website indicates, the Bucs’ pressure rate has steadily declined over the past three years.
Van Ness is an interesting option here for Tampa Bay mostly due to the team’s situation. While he never started a game, many analysts are high on Van Ness and see a lot of his traits translatable to the NFL.
Honestly, an upside pick for the future might not be the worst idea for the Buccaneers. They’re in a bit of a weird place as a franchise right now with Tom Brady’s retirement.
Will they go for a quarterback this offseason? Can they afford a good veteran? I legitimately don’t know because the NFL salary cap is pretty much a myth. Do they trust Kyle Trask to be a starting quarterback? I’m honestly not so sure about that either.
With an old roster and the lack of a quarterback, Tampa Bay could be heading towards a dreaded rebuild. That does mean they can build their new team however they want, though. They could opt to build through the trenches with a high upside pass rusher in Lukas Van Ness.
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