Packers should extract more value out of an impactful first-rounder

We will evaluate every Green Bay Packers rookie in 2023. Draft picks, undrafted free agents, players acquired through other avenues.

Lukas Van Ness

Overview

To open the series, the topic of conversation is the Packers first-round pick Lukas Van Ness. He was the 13th overall selection, acquired from Green Bay in the Aaron Rodgers’ trade — the deal included a swap, allowing the Packers to move up from 15th to 13th in the first round.

Van Ness was a rotational pass rusher, finishing the season as the fourth edge in defensive snaps — behind Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, and Kingsley Enagbare. His role and the Packers’ process reminds us of what the team did with Gary four years earlier, developing him as a backup until he was fully healthy for a major role.

Even playing a limited role, Van Ness showed signs of his physical ability and the capacity to generate pressure, finishing up the regular season with four sacks — he also had a playoff sack against Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys.

Snap counts and stats

• 32.85% defensive snaps, 23.54% special teams snaps
• 4 sacks, 18 pressures, 32 tackles (8 for loss), 1 pass defended, 64.0 PFF grade

PFF grades

• Defensive grade: 64.0
• Run defense: 63.1
• Tackling: 68.0
• Pass rush: 59.0
• Coverage: 72.0

• Best game: vs New York Giants, week 14 (72.1)
• Worst game: vs Chicago Bears, week 18 (44.2)

Big plays

Van Ness had three really impactful plays during the season. The first one was exactly in week 1, a big-time sack on Justin Fields.