Top Draft Prospects- Defensive End, Edge

[wulfy]

I think Iowa is a program that desperately needs a new regime - they recruit great defensive talent there but they have historically been one of the worst offenses (the very worst last year) in the B1G every year. The game has passed Kirk Ferentz and he needs to spend his days at Elks Country Club and not the Hayden Fry Football Complex.

[wab]

TBH I'd take Van Ness at 6 if they traded down with the Panthers.

[thunderspirit]

Why didn't Van Ness start?

Seniority.

Basically.

It's the Kirk Ferentz way.

[karhu]

I think Iowa is a program that desperately needs a new regime - they recruit great defensive talent there but they have historically been one of the worst offenses (the very worst last year) in the B1G every year. The game has passed Kirk Ferentz and he needs to spend his days at Elks Country Club and not the Hayden Fry Football Complex.

Ferentz will do whatever he wants, as long as he wants to, including hiring his son to do whatever he's been doing to the offense lately. The board of regents is packed with chamber of commerce types, the school just got rid of a president whose most impressive qualification was a stint as a soft drink marketing factotum who'd lied on his resume (but who had a buddy on the board), and the whole state is a mess. Good thing he's essentially a stand-up guy.

[wulfy]

TBH I'd take Van Ness at 6 if they traded down with the Panthers.

If I'm trading down with the Panthers, I'm insisting on Brian Burns.

[IE]

Why didn't Van Ness start?

Seniority.

Coach must be Nagy's brother.

[karhu]

Seniority.

Coach must be Nagy's brother.

Coach could take Chuck Grassley's senate seat if he wanted to.

Also, coach is better at football than you or me. That defense was no joke.

[EricTighe]

TBH I'd take Van Ness at 6 if they traded down with the Panthers.

Aren't the Panthers picking at 9.

Tyree Wilson will be our guy at number 9. Rightfully so.

[Grizzled]

A brief rundown on the top DEs. Tackles include solo and gang:

Will Anderson: 3 years starting, 6'4", 254 lbs., 204 tackles, 58.5 tackles for loss, 34.5 sacks
Lukas Van Ness: 2 years starting, 6'5", 264 lbs., 70 tackles, 19 tfl, 13 sacks
Myles Murphy: 3 years starting, 6'5", 275 lbs., 116 tackles, 36 tfl, 18.5 sacks
Tyree Wilson: 4 years starting although only last 2 were full schedules, 6'6", 275 lbs., 109 tackles (99 in last 2 years), 32 tfl (27.5 last 2 years), 17 sacks (14 last 2 years)

[RustinFields]

I think Iowa is a program that desperately needs a new regime - they recruit great defensive talent there but they have historically been one of the worst offenses (the very worst last year) in the B1G every year. The game has passed Kirk Ferentz and he needs to spend his days at Elks Country Club and not the Hayden Fry Football Complex.

Ferentz will do whatever he wants, as long as he wants to, including hiring his son to do whatever he's been doing to the offense lately. The board of regents is packed with chamber of commerce types, the school just got rid of a president whose most impressive qualification was a stint as a soft drink marketing factotum who'd lied on his resume (but who had a buddy on the board), and the whole state is a mess. Good thing he's essentially a stand-up guy.

On the plus side, for the midwest Iowa is pretty quick to drive across.

Struggling to say something nice about Iowa. I broke down there once when I was young, driving across the state, and had to spend the night. The next morning at a cafe I had one of the worst cups of coffee I've ever had (including gas stations) and that state is dead to me now.

[Grizzled]

Got my Bachelor's at Ames. Great state, friendly folks, 4 distinct geographic regions making for good field trips. Decent fishing. They have actual hills unlike Illinois. For those who have bad experiences in the state, give it another shot.

[RichH55]

TBH I'd take Van Ness at 6 if they traded down with the Panthers.

What changed from this:

"I like VanNess but he doen't strike me as particularly explosive or dynamic on the end. He's strong and has a motor that never quits, but it's not like he has a quick first step or has demonstrated that he has a library of pass rush moves.

I watch him and I see Taven Bryan (who I liked a LOT) or AJ Epenesa."

I agree with your 1st post NOT 2nd

[karhu]

Got my Bachelor's at Ames. Great state, friendly folks, 4 distinct geographic regions making for good field trips. Decent fishing. They have actual hills unlike Illinois. For those who have bad experiences in the state, give it another shot.

For what it's worth, my kids were born in Iowa City and we still own some properties there, so I was talking mostly out of chagrin. Beautiful state...especially when you're from Cook County and your idea of a hill is a curb.

[karhu]

Oh, and Van Ness is my #1 DE for the Bears. Over Anderson. I'd be happy with him at 9.

[Grizzled]

Got my Bachelor's at Ames. Great state, friendly folks, 4 distinct geographic regions making for good field trips. Decent fishing. They have actual hills unlike Illinois. For those who have bad experiences in the state, give it another shot.

For what it's worth, my kids were born in Iowa City and we still own some properties there, so I was talking mostly out of chagrin. Beautiful state...especially when you're from Cook County and your idea of a hill is a curb.

Many hilly areas. NE Iowa is known as 'Little Switzerland'. The SW corner has the geologically fascinating loess hills.

[wab]

TBH I'd take Van Ness at 6 if they traded down with the Panthers.

What changed from this:

"I like VanNess but he doen't strike me as particularly explosive or dynamic on the end. He's strong and has a motor that never quits, but it's not like he has a quick first step or has demonstrated that he has a library of pass rush moves.

I watch him and I see Taven Bryan (who I liked a LOT) or AJ Epenesa."

I agree with your 1st post NOT 2nd

I watched more of him. I think he's the type of player that can be a better pro than he was in college. After watching him more, I found myself kind of confused about how Iowa used him. It's almost as if he wasn't put in a position to use his explosion. I no longer see Taven Bryan...I have started to see a bigger TJ Watt.

I could be totally wrong, but my opinion of him has improved over the last few weeks.

[RichH55]

What changed from this:

"I like VanNess but he doen't strike me as particularly explosive or dynamic on the end. He's strong and has a motor that never quits, but it's not like he has a quick first step or has demonstrated that he has a library of pass rush moves.

I watch him and I see Taven Bryan (who I liked a LOT) or AJ Epenesa."

I agree with your 1st post NOT 2nd

I watched more of him. I think he's the type of player that can be a better pro than he was in college. After watching him more, I found myself kind of confused about how Iowa used him. It's almost as if he wasn't put in a position to use his explosion. I no longer see Taven Bryan...I have started to see a bigger TJ Watt.

I could be totally wrong, but my opinion of him has improved over the last few weeks.

Fair enough - and those JJ Watt or Ezekiel Ansah types - are always hard for me to project. THe Georgia Tech kid is another one like that.

The traits are there but they are raw

So when you are scouting what they did on the field - it looks meh

[wulfy]

Dane Brugler from The Athletic has the Bears taking Van Ness @ 9 after two trade downs (which net them 5 picks in the Top 64 and two additional R1s in 2024.

For the Bears, this would be an outstanding scenario. By trading down twice, Chicago would own five picks in the top 64 this year (Nos. 9, 35, 53, 61 and 64) plus two additional first-rounders in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The storylines for this pairing would be fun. Van Ness grew up a Bears fan, living just outside of Chicago (Barrington, Ill.), and his girlfriend is the younger sister of Bears tight end Cole Kmet. More importantly, the Iowa defensive lineman is a promising player with the traits to be a disruptive force from multiple alignments.

General manager Ryan Poles believes in building for the long term, so adding an ascending talent like Van Ness and draft capital via multiple trade downs would fit the profile.

[thunderspirit]

Brugler also identified his comp for Van Ness, which seems to imply Van Ness has tremendous strength and speed, but also perhaps a troubling habit who would be prone to periodic on-field naps.

[wulfy]

Brugler is very high on Van Ness (hence the comp as @thunderspirit mentioned (see what did there?) - he said on the Hoge & Jahns podcast yesterday that he believes that Van Ness can even slide down to 3T and in watching his tape, his best pass rushing work has been done inside lined up in the G/T gap.

[G08]

Got my Bachelor's at Ames. Great state, friendly folks, 4 distinct geographic regions making for good field trips. Decent fishing. They have actual hills unlike Illinois. For those who have bad experiences in the state, give it another shot.

For what it's worth, my kids were born in Iowa City and we still own some properties there, so I was talking mostly out of chagrin. Beautiful state...especially when you're from Cook County and your idea of a hill is a curb.

Spent some of the best years of my life in Iowa City

[karhu]

For what it's worth, my kids were born in Iowa City and we still own some properties there, so I was talking mostly out of chagrin. Beautiful state...especially when you're from Cook County and your idea of a hill is a curb.

Spent some of the best years of my life in Iowa City

Me, too...so they tell me. Drnkin'est place I've ever lived.

[wulfy]

Have vague memories of a college road trip to Iowa City and a bar called the Airliner.

I'm hoping the results of that evening are covered under a Non-Disclosure Agreement. God Bless no camera phones back then.

[G08]

Have vague memories of a college road trip to Iowa City and a bar called the Airliner.

I'm hoping the results of that evening are covered under a Non-Disclosure Agreement. God Bless no camera phones back then.

Airliner, Brothers, Union, One-Eyed Jakes before it turned into a Gay bar and then got shut down, Sports Column... good times

[karhu]

Have vague memories of a college road trip to Iowa City and a bar called the Airliner.

I'm hoping the results of that evening are covered under a Non-Disclosure Agreement. God Bless no camera phones back then.

Airliner, Brothers, Union, One-Eyed Jakes before it turned into a Gay bar and then got shut down, Sports Column... good times

To be fair, didn't Jake's get shut down pretty regularly? I remember the owner getting into it with the city roughly every month.

Ahem. I've got the Foxhead, George's, swinging from the rafters at Gabe's, Yacht Club...and we still haven't named half the establishments in downtown alone.

[dave99]

Lukas Van Ness RAS (so far) v TJ Watt

[crueltyabc]

I wish these guys weren't so raw. Didn't anyone at Iowa know a pass rush move they could teach Van Ness? My guy is out there bull rushing Dawand Jones.

[wab]

I wish these guys weren't so raw. Didn't anyone at Iowa know a pass rush move they could teach Van Ness? My guy is out there bull rushing Dawand Jones.

I truly believe it was how they were asked to play.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

[Hoog]

This draft is really deep at edge in the first and second. It drops a little in the 3-5 round range but still has some surprises, like a YaYa Diaby, Dylan Horton, Isaiah McGuire types. Tail end of the draft, I really like this Andre Jones kid from the Rajun Cajuns. Here's my overall.

1. Will Abderson, Alabama
2. Tyree Wilson, TT
3. Myles Murphy, Clemson
4. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, KSt
5. Derick Hall, Auburn
6. Will McDonald, ISU
7. Byron Young, TN
8. YaYa Diaby, Louisville
9. Dylan Horton, TCU
10. BJ Ojulari, LSU
11. Isaiah Foskey, ND
12. Tuli Tuipultu, USC
13. Isaiah McGuire, Mizz
14. Andre Jones, LU
15. Lonnie Phelps, Kansas
16. Mike Morris, UM
17. DJ Johnson, Oregon
18. Zach Harrison, OSU