It’s only June and the pads won’t come on until training camp in late July, but early impressions are strong of Green Bay Packers’ first-round pick Lukas Van Ness.
In a video posted from the team’s official Twitter account, veteran edge rushers Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, pass-rush specialist Jason Rebrovich and defensive coordinator Joe Barry all had good things to say about the rookie.
“Lukas is going to be one hell of a player for us,” Gary said.
“He has a lot of things that can help this team,” Smith said.
“Really, the thing that is intangible, is his mind. He’s a very, very smart, cerebral kid,” Rebrovich said.
“He has some versatility. Athletic enough that we can stand him up and play him on the edge, but then also, big and physical enough that we can move him up and down the line,” Barry said.
Here’s the full video on Twitter:
Athletic. Smart. Cerebral.
You'll know the name.#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/vBq1pX1bMv
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) June 20, 2023
Kenny Clark was also complimentary of Van Ness this spring:
“He’s going to be great for us. He’s going to be versatile, play a lot of different spots. He’s big and strong, so I think he can play inside, playing the 5 (tech), playing the 3 (tech) inside, and pass rush. He’s still agile enough to go out and play on the edge. Versatile guy, big and strong, he’s fast on the ball, and he has a good long-arm from what I’ve seen training with him.”
Here’s what Paul Bretl of Packers Wire had to say after seeing Van Ness during the offseason workout program:
“Seeing him in person, it’s not hard to figure out why he was given the nickname Hercules. On the football field, his speed and strength were clear as day. Even during individual drills, the burst he possesses getting off the ball was clear as day. During 11-on-11s, there were a few instances where I saw him push back both Yosh Nijman and Caleb Jones. I also want to highlight one specific play-action call from the offense, where Van Ness set the edge, identified that Sean Clifford still had the ball, and then chased him down.
There was one team drill where Van Ness lined up with the starters across from Preston Smith, but for the most part, he was working with the second unit, which I don’t believe should be a surprise. Van Ness will see his share of snaps this season, but as of now, my guess is most come during obvious passing situations. Although rookies can end up playing significant roles in Green Bay, it’s been fairly rare under LaFleur that they come in and start from Day 1. Not only with Van Ness but with other young players, the Packers coaches have said that they want to see many of these rookies handle the specific responsibilities and roles they are initially given before adding more to their plate. One area where Van Ness will have to develop is adding a secondary pass rush move to his repertoire because he isn’t always going to be able to run through every tackle.”
