1st Round Pick (13) - Lukas Van Ness - EDGE-Iowa

[Joemailman]

6-5" 272

Pre-Draft Analysis
Van Ness has a special combination of size, length, power and speed. His ability to get into the pads of offensive linemen and drive them back to the quarterback with ease stands out on tape. He also flashes good swipe and chop moves, but he'll need to continue to improve his array of pass-rush moves to reach his considerable potential. While he didn't see as much time on running downs as he did on passing downs in college, he has the traits to excel versus the run. -- Steve Muench

Matt Miller's NFL comp: Preston Smith
Post-Draft Analysis
Despite never starting a game at Iowa, Van Ness still managed to record 14.0 sacks over the past two seasons. He has a lot of room for growth, though, and with Rashan Gary recovering from a torn ACL, he can step in right away until he returns. Van Ness is an ideal fit in the Packers' scheme, as he can align off the edge but also reduce down inside during passing downs. At Iowa, 50% of his snaps came off of the edge, while 39% came as a defensive tackle. -- Jordan Reid

Projected Year 1 impact: Day 1 rotational contributor. With Preston Smith set to turn 31 years old this season, Van Ness will work in rotation with him and should be considered his eventual replacement at outside linebacker opposite Gary. -- Miller

[Fritz]

Kingsley Engabare just announced he's angry because the Packers drafted someone at his position, so he's requesting a trade to the NYJ.

Should be fun to watch the competition at camp. I'm hoping they'll work Van Ness into the mix and put him into favorable spots, but not expect him to start right away. But maybe that's a position in which you can develop more quickly by playing all the time, so we'll see. Seems like the kid has the tools.

[call_me_ishmael]

Harvey - how do you feel about this guy? I don’t know anything about him but he looks skinny and like he has a lot of room to grow so I am encouraged. Looks like a watt brother with the abs at that size.

[bobblehead]

Skinny? 275lbs is skinny? Guy is lean. An absolute powerhouse. I think this is a good pick. We could have gone tackle or CB. I suspected all along the njigba wasn't rated as high by scouts. You don't draft a slot in the top 20.

[texaspackerbacker]

I wanted an Edge Rusher, and everything I read about Van Ness seems good, but I'm a little worried that they are concerned about how soon and how good Gary is gonna come back. What is P. Smith's contract status, as he, not Engabare, is the most likely one to be getting eased out?

[RashanGary]

You keep them all. Preston is aging out. But all the young ones you keep.

[Fritz]

Harvey - how do you feel about this guy? I don’t know anything about him but he looks skinny and like he has a lot of room to grow so I am encouraged. Looks like a watt brother with the abs at that size.

Harv is on vacay this week, I think. His wife's probably yelling at him from the cabana - "Harv? Harv? Harv, where are you? Harv?" while he's hiding behind the tiki bar scrolling through draft news.

[Deputy Nutz]

Harv is divorced. Ouch

[HarveyWallbangers]

Harv is divorced. Ouch

:)

[HarveyWallbangers]

I was in India for work, so I never got to reevaluate things after I found out the 10 yard splits were all wrong on NFL.com. A shitty 10 yard split compared to a solid one does affect how you feel about players. Reed was a guy I liked relatively well. Not 2nd round level, but 3rd round level--but NFL.com had him down for one of the worst 10 yard splits in this class. It turns out it was decent. I'd still would have taken Marvin Mims over Reed, but I probably wouldn't have dropped him down a round.

[Joemailman]

I was in India for work, so I never got to reevaluate things after I found out the 10 yard splits were all wrong on NFL.com. A shitty 10 yard split compared to a solid one does affect how you feel about players. Reed was a guy I liked relatively well. Not 2nd round level, but 3rd round level--but NFL.com had him down for one of the worst 10 yard splits in this class. It turns out it was decent. I'd still would have taken Marvin Mims over Reed, but I probably wouldn't have dropped him down a round.

Wrong thread?

[Joemailman]

Good breakdown of Van Ness by Chuck Pagano.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak-6PRnTHIw

[MadScientist]

Nice find. I'm feeling better and better about this pick.

[Sparkey]

I was imagining a third and long with Clark, Wyatt, Gary and Van Ness and wet myself a little bit.

[MadScientist]

I was imagining a third and long with Clark, Wyatt, Gary and Van Ness and wet myself a little bit.

Sounds like good pressure with the front four. When was the last time the Packers could regularly do that?

[call_me_ishmael]

Meh, is it that different than Big Z, Prestone, Kenny, and Gary? Packers have had good pass rush the past few years.

[Anti-Polar Bear]

What’s most annoying about this pick is, as with Hawk and Claymaker, bunch of albinos in Wisconsin will now be donning the 90 Green and Musta Yella. We get it, gotta represent the Caucasoids. Lame.

Me, a colorless fellow, I ain’t care about all that horeshit. I wear my Kap and Taylor Rapp jerseys proudly.

Btw: Stay tuned for my 2023 Mastery Mockery of Grade.

[Jaire]

Nice.

Deep edge class. I wanted one last year. He's got the size and gifts. He's young: prototypical Packer first rounder.

Him and Gary will be a great pair.

edit: High ceiling, high floor. good pick

[run pMc]

He's not skinny, but he looks like he can put weight on. I wonder if he's more DE than OLB, especially by Year 3. Seems like he could be more in the JJ Watt mold, although there are many comps to a slightly less athletic Rashan Gary.
I know there's been talk of moving him inside on some downs a la Zadarius, I can see that.

Like his motor, and seems like he's got good strength and length.
I think it's a decent pick. There wasn't a lot of value elsewhere with players available IMO, the OT's I liked best were gone and JSN was good but I think they did fine with their Day 2 picks.

The rumors that NE was very interested is probably real. Big, fast, strong with motor at OLB/DE isn't a bad way to go.

[bobblehead]

Meh, is it that different than Big Z, Prestone, Kenny, and Gary? Packers have had good pass rush the past few years.

When Z was on the field, that was a dominant front 4. Gary is better now, Preston is getting old, and Van Ness is a rook. This years front 7 have massive potential, but they need to prove it on the field. That said its deeper and more talented than I can remember.

[CaptainKickass]

In that 38-20 win over Chicago, Van Ness became the first Packers rookie defensive lineman/edge rusher to register a Week 1 sack in 28 years when he chased down Bears quarterback Justin Fields.https://www.packers.com/news/freak-of-nature-lukas-van-ness-finding-his-place-in-packers-pass-rush-rotation

This is a cool statistical nugget and all but I wish a writer wouldn't skip over the answer to the obvious follow up question:

Who the hell was was the guy who did it 28 years ago?

[MadScientist]

https://www.packers.com/news/freak-of-nature-lukas-van-ness-finding-his-place-in-packers-pass-rush-rotation

This is a cool statistical nugget and all but I wish a writer wouldn't skip over the answer to the obvious follow up question:

Who the hell was was the guy who did it 28 years ago?

Had to have been Darius Holland, who had half a sack week 1 in 95. Hopefully LVN has a better career here.