Were you confused about why the Green Bay Packers passed on the premier pass catcher? Or a stud cornerback who fell? Why didn’t the Packers go to the offensive line? Green Bay never does what its fans are clamoring for.
Who the heck is this frat boy? Lukas Van Ness never started a game in college? He was not even that productive? What? How could they do this? Why can’t the Packers just draft the right players?
Why didn’t the Packers use the trade-up with the New York Jets to their advantage?
Don’t y’all worry…
They drafted Hercules.
“Boom or bust” is such a common phrase when used to describe raw prospects who need a lot of work to be effective in the NFL. Draft pundits have classified Van Ness as a boom-or-bust pick. But look at the tape. He might be raw, but there’s a reason the Packers took him 13th overall.
Van Ness has the potential to be the best edge rusher in the class.
He’s the first player in NFL history never to start a game in college and get picked in the first round. He was the best player on Iowa’s defensive line despite not starting a single game. The way that Iowa ran its defensive system and program is that the older guys who had spent more time in and around the program got priority minutes. Van Ness, 21, was only a redshirt sophomore.
Therefore, he has a small sample size and has not taken that many reps. There are not as many plays of his available to watch as most first-round picks. Over the last two years, Van Ness led Iowa in total sacks (13) and tackles for loss (19). He has some standout games where he flashes on film. For example, Van Ness has some real solid reps against two tackles who went in the top 12 of the draft, Peter Skoronski and Paris Johnson Jr.
Van Ness was a combine darling, and his athleticism and testing numbers shot him up draft boards. The people who are saying the Packers reached for Van Ness don’t know what NFL GMs are thinking. He was not making it past 17.
Below is Van Ness’ relative athletic score (RAS) card. He was a better athlete at other positions than a lot of guys. He was a better tight-end athlete than Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer.
He’s another in a long line of Packers draft picks who had high scores on this model. The Packers like athletes and Van Ness is among the very best.
Let’s dive into the tape and see why the Packers were so happy to snag the Herculean Hawkeye.
Despite a poor showing on the bench press, Van Ness’s strength is a highlight of his game. You often see him rag-dolling offensive linemen, using his leverage and footwork to control his opponents’ pads. Van Ness is able to get his hands in tight, and his strength overtakes offensive linemen. His explosion and get-off really shine.
Van Ness has a great initial push and a good enough foot drive to keep pushing the lineman back. Draft pundits considered Northwestern’s Skoronski and Ohio State’s Johnson Jr. among the top tackles in the class, and they went in the top 12 picks this year. Van Ness absolutely pile-drives them in these clips.
Lined up as a 3-technique defensive tackle in a four-man front, Van Ness is able to go one-on-one with the guard. His active hands and low center of gravity allow him to toss this offensive lineman aside like the tab at the pub.
Below is another example of Van Ness lined up as a 3-tech. He stays low, works the guard, and torpedoes for the sack. He uses a little push-pull move to separate himself from the guard.
For a guy who’s 6’5”, 272 lbs., Van Ness is incredibly good at controlling his pad level. He’s rushing from the inside in both of these examples, and he absolutely forklifts the guards he goes up against. His strength is off the charts in these examples. Van Ness’ get-off from a low position is crazy good for a 21-year-old player.
Van Ness is not just a one-trick pony when it comes to his pass-rushing. In the video below, he’s running a stunt with the other Iowa lineman. As he approaches the guard, he does not sit around and play patty cake with him. He makes a firm decision and does a swim move to get around him. Van Ness is not able to get the quarterback to the turf, but he disrupts the play and prevents the ball from moving forward.
The man that Van Ness just tosses aside with one arm is nicknamed “Big Thanos.” Dawand Jones stands at 6’8”, 360 lbs. If Jones’ dream wasn’t to play in the NBA, he most likely would have been a first-round pick. Van Ness spits him out like a toddler eating broccoli. Then he stumbles but does not give up on the play. Van Ness always keeps his eyes on the quarterback and hustles to eventually make the play.
The play below is more of a mistake by Paris Johnson than it is a truly great play by Van Ness. But Van Ness is able to use his agility and side-to-side speed to plant and go around Johnson, who is trying to seal the backside on a play going the other way. Van Ness recognizes this, wastes no time getting around Johnson, and makes the play from the backside of the line.
Here, Van Ness is in a 2i technique, lined up over the inside shoulder of the guard. He’s able to drive, keep his pad level low, and disrupt that gap on the interior. Van Ness does not make the tackle, but his chundering of the guard is able to trip up the running back for a successful play from the defense.
Below is another high-motor, high-energy play from Van Ness. He’s able to use his athletic ability to evade the chop-block from the guard, keep his head up and recover to make a play on the ball.
Van Ness does a lot of his rushing from the interior in these clips, but some of his best reps are rushing from the outside. While he’s done some great things as a 3-tech, the Packers run a 3-4 defensive scheme. Just like Rashan Gary before him, expect Van Ness to transition to a full-time standup outside linebacker. His skills on the interior are just another fun tool for the defensive coordinator Joe Barry to use on third down and obvious passing downs.
It’ll be funny when he lines up against Cole Kmet, the Chicago Bears tight end because Van Ness is dating Kmet’s sister. Just more fuel to the fire in the storied Packers-Bears rivalry.
Despite limited snaps in college and not starting a game, Van Ness will make a big impact on the Packers’ defense as soon as this year. His arsenal of pass-rush moves, ridiculous strength, body control, and the high motor he plays with will get him snaps immediately.
