There were a lot of players that stood out for the Green Bay Packers in their season-opening victory over the Chicago Bears. They received contributions from players up and down the roster, dominating every facet of the game.
One group that stood out amongst their teammates was the Packers 2023 rookie class. Heading into the season Green Bay knew that they would be relying on a lot of young, inexperienced players. Inexperience was easily their biggest weakness, but in Week 1, they answered the call.
First-round pick Lukas Van Ness was one of the more impressive rookies that the Packers had. The Iowa product was showcasing his rare blend of size and athleticism regularly, wreaking havoc on what was supposed to be a vastly improved Bears’ offensive line.
As shared by Dalton Wasserman of PFF, the Packers are going to be happy about the debut Van Ness had. There is still plenty of work to be done rounding out his game, but he got off on the right foot.
“Van Ness had a nice pass-rushing debut. His 69.2 pass-rush grade ranked third among rookie edge defenders on Sunday. He finished the game with five pressures, including a sack, and on multiple occasions disallowed Justin Fields from breaking contain. Van Ness struggled in the run game, but his ability as an athletic, wide-nine pass rusher looks like the right fit for Green Bay’s defense.”
The sack that Van Ness had on Fields was very impressive, highlighting his athleticism. He chased Fields down looking to get the corner and break up field, but was able to keep pace and sack him before he got away. That athleticism will be key to the Packers’ game plan when facing quarterbacks capable of making plays with their legs outside of the pocket.
As Wasserman noted, it wasn’t a perfect debut for Van Ness. His 46.4 grade against the run was the lowest on the team in Week 1. That is something he will certainly have to work on if he wants to become an every-down player for the Packers.
Alas, Green Bay knew that he was a bit raw in some areas coming out of Iowa, but his ceiling is very high given the elite measurables that he possesses. It will be up to the Packers coaching staff to put him in positions to succeed early on playing to his strengths.
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