2023 NFL mock draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers select EDGE Lukas Van Ness

After the Detroit Lions’ selection of Tennessee offensive linemen Darnell Wright with the 18th pick in our 2023 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock.

If this is your first foray into this mock draft, it is being run by regulars in our Pride of Detroit comment section acting as general manager for individual teams, with the one exception being site managing editor Erik Schlitt making the picks for the Lions.

From now on, I won’t be listing each of the previous choices, as it will take up too much space in the article. If you want to catch up with our mock draft and see the selections prior to this one, check out our 2023 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker. There you can find each individual pick, links to each article, and fan-voted grades for each pick.

Selecting for the Buccaneers this year is commenter JackH. And with the 19th overall pick in the 2023 POD Community Mock, the Bucs have selected Lukas Van Ness, edge defender out of Iowa.

Here’s JackH explaining the pick:

“It is the Baker Mayfield/Kyle Trask era in Tampa Bay, so of course they need an upgrade at the quarterback position. Not going to happen in the first round this year. The value is not there. Begin the rebuild on defense.

“Enter Lukas Van Ness, a mountain of a man, in the mold of Aidan Hutchinson. The impact of a pass rusher can change a team’s identity and this is great opportunity to draft a game changer.

“Let’s be honest, Tampa Bay needs to get younger. Bucs coach Todd Bowles opts to spark that on the defensive edge. He is well seasoned with his time as a Denver Broncos punching bag, keeping it close with a good defense and trash quarterback play. It will be a down year for the Bucs, but this first rounder will be a crowd favorite, and give a bit of spark after a Baker Mayfield three-and-out.”

What do you think of the pick? Was Lukas Van Ness the right choice? Vote in the poll below and scroll down to the comment section to sound off.