Lukas Van Ness and his hype seem to be growing more and more with each day and each mock draft that we see. This time, he finds himself back in the first round once again.
USA TODAY Sports’ most recent mock draft has Van Ness sneaking into the tail end of the first round and landing in the Big Easy. Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports predicts that Van Ness is taken 29th overall by the New Orleans Saints.
New Orleans picked up this peripatetic pick by letting Payton go to Denver. Van Ness should be an every-down player who can line up outside or in depending on the situation. And with this D-line set to lose David Onyemata, Marcus Davenport and Shy Tuttle, a versatile replacement who can get to the quarterback – Van Ness has 13 sacks and 17 TFLs over the past two seasons – would provide welcome support to aging DE Cam Jordan, 33. – Davis, USA TODAY Sports
Along with this mock, Hawkeyes Wire has analyzed all of the potential landing places for Van Ness up to this point. Here is a look at where some of the biggest mock drafts have him headed to in the 2023 NFL draft.