With the No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packer selected Iowa defensive lineman, Lukas Van Ness. It was a selection that surprised a lot of people as many felt the team’s biggest need was upgrading the weapons around their new starting quarterback, Jordan Love. Not to mention, every wide receiver and tight end was still on the board.
While that was likely true, the Packers did eventually fill those needs, drafting multiple wide receivers and tight ends in the following rounds. Alas, when taking a look at their roster, a strong argument could be made that a defensive lineman was the team’s biggest need.
Defensive tackles Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed both departed in free agency. The team knows that edge rusher Rashan Gary may not be in the mix in the early going as he recovers from a torn ACL. So, adding Van Ness to the mix will certainly help as he can step into the lineup from Day 1 and produce.
And, that is exactly what Chad Reuter of NFL.com expects to occur. He recently put together his predictions for the All-Rookie teams and the Packers’ first-round pick was one of the players that he selected.
Reuter has predicted that Van Ness will earn an All-Rookie spot as an EDGE defender. Some of the issues that scouts saw in his game during the pre-draft process Reuter believes to be overblown in some regards.
“Green Bay needed someone like Van Ness late last year after Rashan Gary was lost to an ACL tear in Week 9. The former Hawkeye should make a bigger impact than Gary did as a rookie (two sacks in 16 games with zero starts in 2019), especially if the rising veteran star is not fully healthy at the start of the season. I think Van Ness’ strong hands and movement skills make him less of a project than many believe.”
The Packers pass rush was in dire need of a talent infusion this offseason and Van Ness should provide that. Despite being injured in Week 9, Gary still finished the season second on the team in sacks with 6.5, trailing only Preston Smith.
After not starting a game in college, there are some concerns about Van Ness holding up in a bigger role in the early going. But, there is no denying the talent that he possesses as he has all of the tools to become a successful player right out of the gate.