The Green Bay Packers selected edge rusher Lukas Van Ness with their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. We are still more than a week away from the start of training camp and some experts are already calling Van Ness potentially the “biggest bust” of the season for the Packers.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine compared Van Ness to what Devonte Wyatt did a year ago in his rookie season. Wyatt saw action on only 23 percent of the team’s defensive snaps and did not start a game. He finished the season with 1.5 sacks and 15 total tackles.
While Wyatt showed flashes of the talent that made him a first-round draft pick, he was hardly an impact player in his first NFL season.
Ballentine sees a similar season for Van Ness. “There’s a lot of reason to believe Van Ness could follow a similar arc,” he wrote. “The 6’5”, 272-pounder was not a starter for the Iowa defense and has a lot of refinement he needs to do to build his pass-rushing repertoire. In college, he got away with dominating because of his length and strength.”
There are a few flaws with Ballentine’s analysis and some truth to it. Yes, Van Ness never started a game in college although that was really a technicality. The Hawkeyes favor seniors when it comes to starting assignments and Van Ness left the school after his junior season. While he never started a game, he played significantly more snaps than the players who officially started ahead of him.
There is also no doubt that Van Ness needs to improve his technique to dominate in the NFL. Like most rookies, he needs to incorporate new moves, improve his hand checks and his mental game to be a true NFL star.
But a bust? Before he’s even taken a snap in a preseason game? Let’s get real.
Let’s examine what the expectations are for Van Ness in his rookie season in Green Bay. He is not expected to be a starter with Preston Smith and Rashan Gary entrenched in those roles. Even if Gary misses the early part of the regular season as he rehabs his knee injury, Van Ness is not the first candidate to start opposite Smith. That would likely Kingsley Enagbare.
The expectations for Van Ness are similar to Gary’s when he was drafted out of Michigan in 2019. The Packers had just signed Preston and Za’Darius Smith as free agents and still had holdover Kyler Fackrell on the roster. Gary was going to learn and be the third or fourth option in the pass rush rotation.
Gary recorded two sacks, recovered a fumble, and made three tackles for loss. He played 24 percent of the team’s defensive snaps while learning behind three proven veterans. Each year since then, Gary’s role has increased, and his performance has gotten better. Last season, he was playing at a Pro Bowl level when he was lost for the season with a knee injury in Week 9.
It is far too soon to say Van Ness even has the potential to be a bust as a pick. Give the man a chance to attend training camp and play some preseason games and see where he’s at first. He may not play a lot as a rookie, but that could also be part of the Packers plan to develop their new edge rusher. Only time will tell.
__________________________________________________________________________
Contact/follow us @Packer_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to our Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Green Bay Packers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
Follow this link and use promo code: BADGERNOTES for 25% off your next True Classic order.
Join our watch party on Playback Sports and stream Packers games by following this link
