Round 1 Pick 13 - Lukas Van Ness

[Scott4Pack]

Is nobody here concerned about the bench press reps that VN did during the combine?

[YoHoChecko]

Is nobody here concerned about the bench press reps that VN did during the combine?

Not thrilled, but not concerned.

I'd be concerned if his tape was like "doesn't seem to show/know how to use power," but it's the thing he's best at.

I'd be concerned if he had work ethic or workout questions because bench often stands in for some of those things, but it's another thing he's well known for.


So I could see it be concerning, and <20 reps is typically where I see/hear scouts ask questions, but I think Van Ness specifically has answered what questions it would bring up.

[Labrev]

Is nobody here concerned about the bench press reps that VN did during the combine?

Read the thread!!

[bud fox]

Is nobody here concerned about the bench press reps that VN did during the combine?

Yes

Vertical is concerning.

10 yard split isn't great either.

I expect him to take some time to develop.

[YoHoChecko]

Is nobody here concerned about the bench press reps that VN did during the combine?

Yes

Vertical is concerning.

10 yard split isn't great either.

I expect him to take some time to develop.

Vertical is for sure more concerning than his bench. His broad was good though. Honestly, maybe [mention]wallyuwl[/mention] can help me out here, but I genuinely don't understand guys who have the explosion to jump far but not high. I was a (not-very-good, but good-enough) long jumper in high school and jumping high was a great way to jump farther (granted, there was forward momentum involved, not a standing broad)

[Waldo]

Is nobody here concerned about the bench press reps that VN did during the combine?

Yes

Vertical is concerning.

10 yard split isn't great either.

I expect him to take some time to develop.

Vertical is for sure more concerning than his bench. His broad was good though. Honestly, maybe @wallyuwl can help me out here, but I genuinely don't understand guys who have the explosion to jump far but not high. I was a (not-very-good, but good-enough) long jumper in high school and jumping high was a great way to jump farther (granted, there was forward momentum involved, not a standing broad)

It seems to be a trait specific to schools; s&c program definitely plays a big role. LSU players back in the day could not jump vertically whatsoever. Big discrepencies between the two, with a much better broad, tend to be white dudes.

[TheSkeptic]

Yes

Vertical is concerning.

10 yard split isn't great either.

I expect him to take some time to develop.

Vertical is for sure more concerning than his bench. His broad was good though. Honestly, maybe @wallyuwl can help me out here, but I genuinely don't understand guys who have the explosion to jump far but not high. I was a (not-very-good, but good-enough) long jumper in high school and jumping high was a great way to jump farther (granted, there was forward momentum involved, not a standing broad)

It seems to be a trait specific to schools; s&c program definitely plays a big role. LSU players back in the day could not jump vertically whatsoever. Big discrepencies between the two, with a much better broad, tend to be white dudes.

LVN was a hockey player, not a basketball player. You ever try jumping with ice skates on? Hint, if you do try it you will wish you had not. The black kids' main sport is almost always basketball.

[YoHoChecko]

Beast entry for LVN

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[bobsacamano]

So comparisons to Kampman, Clay and TJ Watt.


I mean we are better than this, aren't we?

I see a little Jared Allen too.

[Labrev]

I was watching On My Block, the show hosted by Mike Wahle and Ahman Green, and they both made the Kampman comp for LVN.

They also even pointed to some specifics in his game that resemble AK-74, like the way he looks in his stance. Wahle and Green notably were former teammates of his.

So HA!!

[bobsacamano]

All the scouting reports credit him for playing with great power and strength but his bench reps were pretty bad. How does that jive? Is the dude just not technically good with lifting a heavy bar?

You can train pretty easily to improve your bench, especially at that high a weight and he's only 21.

I am 6' 180 lbs and not a professional athlete and can out-rep him.

Probably because you're 6' and not nearly 6'5 with 34 inch arm length, not because you're stronger than him. Long arms make it much more difficult and being better at bench dosen't mean you're stronger than someone.

[Acrobat]

Question, will he be expected to bench press during actual games?

[Crazylegs Starks]

Question, will he be expected to bench press during actual games?

You haven't seen the halftime bench press competitions? The work the grounds crew puts into getting those bench presses set up out there and put back in less than 15 minutes is astounding.

[Half Empty]

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=nfl+combine+drills&ia=web Lots of explanations from which to choose.

[salmar80]

Question, will he be expected to bench press during actual games?

You haven't seen the halftime bench press competitions? The work the grounds crew puts into getting those bench presses set up out there and put back in less than 15 minutes is astounding.

Oh yeah!! The one right after the 40-yard dash competition for DL and kickers?

[Labrev]

Question, will he be expected to bench press during actual games?

You haven't seen the halftime bench press competitions? The work the grounds crew puts into getting those bench presses set up out there and put back in less than 15 minutes is astounding.

Oh yeah!! The one right after the 40-yard dash competition for DL and kickers?

Oddly enough, 40 yard dash is a pretty solid predictor of DT success. I think it weeds out bigs that actually have athleticism to hang in the NFL from ordinary slobs, and/or shows which of them put in enough effort into their training to be pros.

[wallyuwl]

Vertical is for sure more concerning than his bench. His broad was good though. Honestly, maybe @wallyuwl can help me out here, but I genuinely don't understand guys who have the explosion to jump far but not high. I was a (not-very-good, but good-enough) long jumper in high school and jumping high was a great way to jump farther (granted, there was forward momentum involved, not a standing broad)

They usually go together but not always. Jumping high is much more a produce of how much a person weighs. It also is more about rate of force development (RFD) and the enhancement of the stretch shorten cycle than a broad jump. If you have more massive legs you'll jump relatively further and guys with less mass will jump higher. Just harder to get all that mass going up vs out. While broad jump relies on RFD, it is more reliant than VJ just on force. There is more time involved in the propulsion phase of the broad jump, therefore less reliance on RFD. I personally fit this bill (in the past, when I used to be kind of athletic) - I was a really good squatter and DLer but had a not great vert but a much better (comparatively) broad.

[Willink]

All the scouting reports credit him for playing with great power and strength but his bench reps were pretty bad. How does that jive? Is the dude just not technically good with lifting a heavy bar?

You can train pretty easily to improve your bench, especially at that high a weight and he's only 21.

I am 6' 180 lbs and not a professional athlete and can out-rep him.

Probably because you're 6' and not nearly 6'5 with 34 inch arm length, not because you're stronger than him. Long arms make it much more difficult and being better at bench dosen't mean you're stronger than someone.

I didn't claim to be stronger than him, just that I can out bench him. I've been lifting for 12 yrs, I'm familiar with biomechanical leverage. He outweighs me by 90 lbs , just that his bench sucks for his size/frame and athletic disposition. I even said he can probably train pretty easily to rapidly improve that, Iowa players always suck at BP.

[Foosball]

He is very physical on his tape. I wonder how many roughing the passer penalties he’ll get before he learns to tone it down. A few of his college sacks would have been flagged in the NFL.

[YoHoChecko]

I keep hearing a lot about how LVN can play inside and outside and how that means he can be deployed similarly to how Gary has been (even though different styles of play) and Z before that.

And I get that is very beneficial long term. But am I the only one who wants to see him really focus on EDGE for his first year, be more of the pass rusher that comes in on the outside when Gary (or Preston, who can do this, too, but does so less often) slides inside?

I just don't think the best thing for a learning development is to ask them to do too much, especially when his edge technique needs so much refinement/variation.


Have I mentioned this before? I've thought it before, but typing it feels familiar.