Cowboys strengthen a strength in recent mock draft
The Dallas Cowboys still have plenty of holes to fill despite their successful start to the offseason. Wide receiver and cornerback probably top the list. Also, the Cowboys can use a left guard, a young running back, and another piece at linebacker. However, NFL Media Analyst Charles Davis has Dallas taking a different route in the […]
The Dallas Cowboys still have plenty of holes to fill despite their successful start to the offseason.
Wide receiver and cornerback probably top the list. Also, the Cowboys can use a left guard, a young running back, and another piece at linebacker. However, NFL Media Analyst Charles Davis has Dallas taking a different route in the first round by selecting edge rusher Lukas Van Ness out of Iowa in his recent mock draft.
Van Ness should fit right in with what defensive coordinator Dan Quinn likes to do in getting after QBs. The former hockey player, who accumulated way more penalty minutes than goals scored, will be relentless.
For a Cowboys' defense with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, and Dorance Armstrong on the roster, this would be the rich getting richer.
Van Ness redshirted his freshman season at Iowa in 2020. After that, he started making a name for himself. Playing both defensive end and defensive tackle, Van Ness quickly became a starter in 2021 and racked up 33 tackles (8.5 tackles for loss) and seven sacks in 13 games.
The Barrington, Illinois native was a stud once again in 2022 with 37 tackles (10.5 tackles for loss) and six sacks and was named a second-team All-Big Ten performer.
Van Ness finished with 46 pressures last season. Also, he compiled an overall defensive grade of 80.2 last season which included a pass-rush grade of 74.3 and a run-defense grade of 80.9 according to Pro Football Focus, meaning he can be effective in multiple areas.
At 6'5" and 272 pounds, Van Ness has a quick first step (ran 4.58 in the 40-yard dash) and has great power that he utilizes to bull rush, and quite successfully. One thing Van Ness will have to do better on the pro level is rounding out his pass-rush arsenal because strictly trying to use power will get him gobbled up eventually by strong and technically sound offensive linemen.
The knock on Van Ness is that he doesn't have a ton of experience plus he only played one game in college where he logged over 50 snaps (had 58 against Illinois last season) and that's something he'll have to do regularly in the NFL. However, despite still being raw in some areas, Van Ness is a moldable piece of clay that could give the Cowboys yet another young promising player on the defensive line.
