The Green Bay Packers are equally excited about the long-term upside of first-round pick Lukas Van Ness and unconcerned about the perceived lack of experience from a player who actually didn’t start a game at Iowa.
Why? The answers can be found in his background as a football player, development as an athlete and actual playing time in college.
Van Ness, 21, transitioned from hockey to football and didn’t play varsity football until his junior season of high school. He redshirted as a freshman at Iowa and only played two seasons before declaring for the NFL draft, so there are legitimate development opportunities in front of him as a professional player. The Packers are convinced his best football is in front of him.
“Really big upside,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said Thursday night. “The physical traits are all there for him to grow, so there’s no real limitation on him. But also, the versatility to win outside with speed and inside with power. There’s so much in front of him, and that’s where his best football will be.”
Van Ness (nickname: Hercules) put on over 60 pounds at Iowa and now stands 6-5 and weighs over 270 pounds. He aced the combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds and producing a three-cone time of 7.02 seconds, displaying both incredible straight-line speed and agility for a player of his size. The Packers think he’s a powerful, explosive rusher who perfectly fits what they look for in an edge rusher. His combination of height, bulk and athleticism suggest a high ceiling as a professional.
In terms of experience, Van Ness played in 27 games over two seasons but finished with zero starts. So, what happened? Simple: Van Ness played behind two upperclassmen at an Iowa program that prioritizes seniority. But for all intents and purposes, Van Ness was still a starter: He played almost 1,000 combined snaps over the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was a second-team All-Big Ten pick and led the Hawkeyes in tackles for loss and sacks in 2022.
Van Ness remains relatively new to football, and he played only two seasons on the college level. This inexperience can be a positive. Van Ness was disruptive as a raw player and should only get better as he gains the knowledge and technical improvement that only comes with learning the craft and playing more snaps. He’s a ball of clay ready to be molded. The Packers, with Rashan Gary and Preston Smith in place at edge rusher, have the time to be patient as he learns, develops and grows as a young player.
Only four years ago, the Packers took an edge rusher with elite athleticism who needed time to develop coming out of the Big Ten. The developmental pathway worked for Gary. Van Ness will have every opportunity to follow in his shoes.
