The NFL offseason underway and the Minnesota Vikings have their work cut out for them. They started with 25 impending free agents and many decisions to be made from a salary cap standpoint, they’ll need to be savvy to ensure this roster is ready at the start of 2023.
Edge rusher is a position that is not currently required but will be in the future. Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith are getting older, and no clear succession plan exists.
On Tuesday, Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News gave the Vikings that successor in their latest mock draft by selecting Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness.
“The Vikings need to boost their pass rush badly behind Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter. Van Ness can be a situational star at first with his burst and relentlessness before rounding out into a complete edge player.”
There is a lot of intrigue around Van Ness, and rightfully so. He’s a versatile defensive lineman with insane power and a motor to match it. While others are higher than Van Ness, I’m not completely sold. His upside is there, but he was inconsistent on the tape I watched.
The Vikings need guys who can step in and contribute to an aging defense. In the long term, Van Ness could develop into a star, but I’m not sure the timeline matches what the Vikings need.
