Final 2023 NFL mock draft roundup for Iowa Hawkeyes making the professional leap
Folks, it is about that time. Just days away now is the 2023 NFL draft, the greatest day of football without the game actually being played.
Months of speculation will finally end, concluding a set of talking points while opening up a whole new batch for the summer. I’m already dreading those as I write this.
Iowa football will be well represented this year, with five potential picks in the upcoming 2023 NFL draft. There will be black and gold all throughout the weekend, with players ranging from potential top-10 picks to day three hopefuls.
Despite the exhaustion of the draft cycle, it is sad to see the mock draft season end already. Thank you to all the various simulators, you’ve done us a great service and it is now time to rest. To celebrate the end of mock draft season right ahead of the actual draft, here is one last mock draft roundup!
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Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Chad Reuter has four Iowa players featured in his latest seven-round mock draft. They are as follows:
Lukas Van Ness to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 17th overall.
Sam LaPorta to the Miami Dolphins, 51st overall.
Jack Campbell to the Houston Texans, 73rd overall.
Riley Moss to the New York Giants, 128th overall.
Ian Valentino, Pro Football Network
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
In Ian Valentino’s latest seven-round mock draft for Pro Football Network, he also has four Iowa prospects featured:
Lukas Van Ness to the Philadelphia Eagles, 10th overall.
Jack Campbell to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 32nd overall.
Sam LaPorta to the Las Vegas Raiders, 70th overall.
Riley Moss to the Kansas City Chiefs, 217th overall.
Natalie Miller, Draft Wire
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
In Natalie Miller’s final two-round mock draft for Draft Wire, she sees three Iowa players hearing their names called early:
Lukas Van Ness to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 19th overall.
Jack Campbell to the New York Jets, 43rd overall.
Sam LaPorta to the Miami Dolphins, 51st overall.
Matt Miller, ESPN
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Matt Miller of ESPN actually has all four Iowa players going early within the top 100 picks in his 2023 NFL mock draft:
Lukas Van Ness to the Chicago Bears, ninth overall.
Jack Campbell to the Detroit Lions, 48th overall.
Sam LaPorta to the Kansas City Chiefs, 63rd overall.
Riley Moss to the Baltimore Ravens, 86th overall.
Emory Hunt, CBS Sports
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Emory Hunt just released his “What I Would Do” first-round mock draft, and there are zero Iowa players listed. I like Emory a lot, one of my favorite draft analysts, so sorry I have to do this…
BOOOOOOOOOO!
Josh Edwards, CBS Sports
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
I think Josh Edwards might have my favorite mock draft so far. Sure, Lukas Van Ness may have fallen to the late teens, but he’s the only one so far to include Kaevon Merriweather. Nice!
Lukas Van Ness to the Detroit Lions, 19th overall.
Sam LaPorta to the New England Patriots, 46th overall.
Jack Campbell to the Washington Commanders, 47th overall.
Riley Moss to the New Orleans Saints, 146th overall.
Kaevon Merriweather to the Los Angeles Chargers, 239th overall.
Peter King, NBC Sports
(AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
In Peter King’s first-round mock draft for NBC Sports, he slotted Lukas Van Ness to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 24.
The interesting thing when considering a pick for the Jags is that they’ve got a good roster, maybe the best all-around in the AFC South. There’s no urgent need. Tight end Michael Mayer’s a strong consideration here, but Doug Pederson seems to have unlocked the potential of Evan Engram, so I’m going with a player GM Trent Baalke will like because of his fierce competitiveness and pass-rush traits. Odd career. He started zero games at Iowa but played the most snaps of any outside rusher in the last two years. – King, NBC Sports.
Eric Edholm, NFL.com
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
In Eric Edholm’s third mock draft of the year, also focused squarely on the first round, he forecasted Lukas Van Ness to the Pittsburgh Steelers at pick No. 17.
Van Ness could go higher than this, though he’s still an upside pick who might never develop into a true standout player. But at the very least, Van Ness gives you toughness, energy and positional flexibility as a hockey enforcer type of defender. He kind of screams Pittsburgh, if you think about it. – Edholm, NFL.com.
Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
In our final mock draft, Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports sees Lukas van Ness coming off the board to the Seattle Seahawks with the 20th pick.
He never started for the Hawkeyes but sure was impactful – totaling 13 sacks and 19 TFLs the past two seasons. The 6-5, 272-pounder with sub-4.6 speed – whether he starts or subs – would add juice to a defense that was at its best a decade ago when the line rolled deep. And if a player like Van Ness could pair with Carter? Look out. – Davis, USA TODAY Sports.
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