Eagles 7-round NFL mock draft simulation: Two trades highlight Round 1

Lukas Van Ness isn’t on everyone’s wish list, but he’s the selection at 14. The Eagles land a blue-chip pass rusher to their defense here.

By sliding back four spots, the Eagles take advantage of a desperate Pats team. They gain multiple mid-round picks, and they still are afforded the opportunity to add a highly sought-after prospect at a position of need.

Lukas Van Ness has been criticized because he wasn’t able to land a starting role AT IOWA. Some believe that should disqualify him from being a top-15 selection, but make no mistake about it. He is a player who possesses the size, athleticism, and mindset to be an excellent pass rusher in the NFL. He’s also young. He doesn’t turn 23 until AFTER the 2023-2024 NFL season concludes.

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Standing at six-foot-five and weighing 272 pounds and with 34-inch arms and 11-inch hands, Van Ness has an ideal physical profile for a pass rusher. He collected 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss in his two seasons as a Hawkeye, using his astonishing power to beat top-tier offensive tackles across Division I football such as Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski or Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr.

The Eagles already hosted Van Ness for a pre-draft visit on March 23rd, making him the first edge rusher that the team publicly met with. Trading down and still landing the player the Eagles would’ve selected at 10th overall would be another masterful move by Roseman, and he may not be done yet.