The Houston Texans will need a dominant edge defender if they want to elevate the defense under new coach DeMeco Ryans.
According to Michael Renner from Pro Football Focus, if the Texans are looking for a defensive end similar to former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro defensive end Justin Smith, then Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness is worth the consideration.
The 4/5-technique role has length as a pre-requisite. You’ll be doing your battle with offensive tackles that sometimes have upwards of 36-inch arms snap after snap. If you have stubby 32-inch arms, that won’t get the job done. You also better be able to establish leverage quickly in the run game because tackles are firing into you without more than a gather step. Former San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith was an animal in this role due to his ability to outmuscle men 50 pounds heavier than him. Sadly, the Smiths of the world are dinosaurs to a degree, as the position has gone out of vogue in the NFL since he retired.
Van Ness shares a few similarities with Smith as an athlete. While Smith developed into a 285-pound block of granite, he was drafted fourth overall out of Missouri as a 267-pound true defensive end. Van Ness tips the scales at 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds with a frame to get bigger. He also has a uniquely low get-off for a man his size as well as 11-inch hands that are tailor-made to grab a hold of jerseys and never let go. That’s why you’ve seen him rise up boards this spring.
Van Ness falls anywhere between top-10 and top-25 depending on the mock draft. No doubt the Texans would have to make a decision at No. 12 overall as to whether they wanted to grab Van Ness or go with a receiver to pair with their new quarterback at No. 2 overall.
