Iowa football defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness declares for 2023 NFL Draft

The redshirt sophomore is a projected high draft pick despite never starting a game for the Hawkeyes.

Jerod Ringwald

Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness competes in a drill with defensive end Brian Allen during a spring practice at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, April 23, 2022.

Chloe Peterson, Sports Editor
January 3, 2023

Iowa football defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness is declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft, he announced via Twitter on Tuesday.

“My time at Iowa has been very special and I will always be a Hawkeye,” Van Ness said in a prepared statement. “It was not an easy decision to leave the University of Iowa with remaining eligibility. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to play in the NFL and with that being said I will forgo my senior year and declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. I still plan to complete my degree and represent the Hawkeye family in everything I do.”

Van Ness redshirted his first year at Iowa in 2020 coming out of Barrington High School in Illinois.

He played in 13 games as a redshirt freshman in 2021, starting none, and finished the season with 38 tackles and a team-leading seven sacks. Van Ness was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America following the 2021 season.

Van Ness did not start any games in 2022 but played in all 14. He totaled 33 tackles and another team-leading seven sacks.

ESPN’s Todd McShay projected Van Ness to be a first-round pick in 2022 despite never starting a game for the Hawkeyes.