GREEN BAY – In media sessions at both the combine and league meetings this offseason, General Manager Brian Gutekunst expressed his belief the Packers’ pass rush has what it needs personnel-wise, pending expectations of improvement.
While the former was nice for Lukas Van Ness to hear, it’s the latter part the former first-round pick and defensive lineman is focused on. Progress will be demanded, and he plans to deliver.
“Looking into the season, this is obviously the most important one as it’s the next one ahead,” Van Ness said Tuesday before embarking on the Packers Tailgate Tour. “This is my job. I love what I do, I love playing football. My goal every single day is to come to work and put that effort in, and then, ultimately, put the best product on the field on Sundays.”
That’s been a hit or miss proposition thus far in Van Ness’s young career. While he’s had productive stretches – including four sacks in a seven-game span that stretched through the first round of the playoffs as a rookie, and then back-to-back games with sacks last November – his overall numbers after two seasons haven’t lived up to his draft billing as the No. 13 overall pick in 2023.
He’s recorded eight sacks and 17 QB hits in 37 total games, including playoffs, as a rotational player. He’s logged in the range of 30-40% of the defensive snaps over his two seasons.
He’s hoping in 2025 he can truly settle in. As a rookie, he was asked to transition from a hand-in-the-dirt D-lineman to a stand-up edge rusher, and then he switched back last year as new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley implemented his 4-3 front.
To his credit, Van Ness has never pointed to those challenges as a factor in his production, an indication his own expectations are as high if not higher than anything external.
“Ultimately, it’s part of the game,” he said of all the changes. “It’s just a circumstance. At the end of the day, I’ve got to continue to take those leaps and grow as a player. Those are just things I’ve had to work through.”
Now another change awaits him, presumably a positive one. DeMarcus Covington has been hired as the Packers’ new defensive line coach to help develop more consistency from the defense’s pass rush.
To date, Van Ness has only had a chance to introduce himself to Covington and chat briefly about goals and such. He called his new coach “really easy to talk to” and is looking forward to what’s…
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