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Iowa EDGE Lukas Van Ness Visiting the Eagles
Published:
Another pre-draft visit:
Looks like Lukas Van Ness is visiting Philadelphia today. Could this be a pre-draft visit? 👀
The #Eagles have the No. 10 overall pick. pic.twitter.com/3JHiw4W1wC
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) March 23, 2023
In a vacuum, these visits aren’t necessarily newsworthy items, since a ton of guys come visit the Eagles in the pre-draft process.
But we use them to introduce you to players you might not be familiar with, and Iowa’s Van Ness is one of the best pass rushers coming out of the college game this year.
At NFL.com, Lance Zierlein did the writeup:
Nicknamed “Hercules” by teammates, Van Ness is a well-developed defensive end with excellent lean mass and additional growth still to come. He’s a power-centric prospect with force as his modus operandi as both a run defender and pass rusher. Van Ness needs to work on hand attacks for quicker block shedding and to diversify his rush beyond bull-rush challenges. He’s taken snaps inside at Iowa but might need to keep filling out his frame before he’s ready to succeed as a run stuffer and pass rusher as a 4i in a 3-4 front. Van Ness is more of a splash player than consistent force on tape, but he possesses projectable traits that should allow for continued ascension as a pro.
The knock on this guy is that he’s all straight line bull rushing, but he tested well at the combine and drew some Preston Smith comps. I’ve seen mocks with LVN going anywhere in the mid teens to the mid 20s. Not sure he’s a #10 overall pick, but not sure he makes it to 30 either. We’ll see.
Here’s some film:
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com