Atlanta Falcons Seven Round Mock Draft: Who are they taking at No. 8?

1st Round (8th overall): Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa

Honestly, this was a toss-up between Lukas Van Ness and cornerback Devon Witherspoon of Illinois. Also, Jalen Carter could be the pick here if he falls past the Seattle Seahawks at No. 5. Van Ness gets the call because this Falcons team needs help getting to the quarterback and he’s done that at Iowa.
He had six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in his redshirt sophomore season for the Hawkeyes.

There’s a lot of upside in Van Ness and he would compete with Lorenzo Carter and Ta’Quon Graham for snaps. At 6’5”, 272 pounds, he’s a prototypical edge player who can be an elite pass rusher. It’s important to note that Campbell is 37 years old and could serve as a mentor to him.
The edge position is one of the deeper classes in this year’s draft and Van Ness has star potential. One thing is sure: Atlanta should go defense here.