Packers take Lukas Van Ness with 13th overall pick

Nevada v Iowa
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The Packers kicked off the post-Aaron Rodgers era by taking Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness.

Green Bay used the 13th overall pick to add Van Ness on Thursday night. They acquired the pick as part of the trade that sent Rodgers to the Jets this week.

Van Ness led Iowa with 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks during the 2022 season and he makes it four straight defensive players in the first round for Green Bay. They took linebacker Quay Walker and defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt last season and cornerback Eric Stokes was the top pick in 2021.

The Packers also picked up a second round pick from the Jets in the Rodgers trade and we’ll see if they keep adding to that side of the ball with that selection.

41 responses to “Packers take Lukas Van Ness with 13th overall pick

  1. Weaknesses
    Forward lean can be countered by blockers.
    Inconsistent use of hands to control and shed quickly.
    Needs more work schooling up hands as a rusher.
    Hasn’t learned to transition from bull rusher into closer.
    Very average foot quickness for inside rush moves.
    Takes too long activating change of direction as twister.
    Lacked effectiveness as interior rusher.

  2. I thought they would finally go Offense this year. All the picks they have poured into that average-at-best Defense… I know they need pressure on the QB, and Preston is 30 and Radhan was hurt, but… Please go TE and WR in the second!

  3. Get used to it, Jordan Love. This is what it’s like to watch the draft as a GB QB.

  4. cheeseisfattening says:
    April 27, 2023 at 9:48 pm
    No faith in Gary it looks like

    _________________________________

    You mean Rashan Gary who tore his ACL in November and is entering his last year under contract? Yeah no faith or being proactive about his injury return and possible not being able to keep him.

  5. Ok, not for this subject obviously, but I gotta say. I do not like it when guests announce the picks, and especially kids!!

  6. cheeseisfattening says:
    Weaknesses

    ———————-

    You forgot to include his long, long list of strengths. Just an oversight, I’m sure.

  7. What is this 8 or 9 first rd picks? But the defense will still underperform with barry at the helm. Maybe lafluer will finally fire him mid season.

  8. As a hawkeye i watched all his games.. a good player, not great. This was a reach oacker fans.

  9. “i watched all his games.. a good player, not great. This was a reach oacker fans.”

    If Iowa hadn’t tried to pound him into a round DT hole so often I’m sure his stats and games would have been even better.

  10. This was definitely a need and this kid has the makings of being a disruptive brute. It’s a solid pick but he would have been there at 15, I’m guessing the Packers probably tried to trade back and couldn’t find a partner. Look for both second-rounders to be best WR & TE available.

  11. What a joke of a pick. 1st round bust. Guarantee they will pick another defensive pick next year with their number one. Green Bay, where 1st round picks go to die.

  12. This guy will never get out of being a Special teams player..maybe he’ll block a field goal or something…yeah! What a wasted pick…lol

  13. And moves like THIS are exactly why the Green Bay Packers are the most successful franchise in NFL history.

  14. Not a bad pick. Certainly not a great pick for where they were at. Confusing as to why they wouldn’t get their new QB any help at WR, with every single WR still on the board. Well, at least they didn’t trade up for a QB when it wasn’t needed.

  15. cheeseisfattening says:
    April 27, 2023 at 9:47 pm
    Weaknesses
    Forward lean can be countered by blockers.
    Inconsistent use of hands to control and shed quickly.
    Needs more work schooling up hands as a rusher.
    Hasn’t learned to transition from bull rusher into closer.
    Very average foot quickness for inside rush moves.
    Takes too long activating change of direction as twister.
    Lacked effectiveness as interior rusher.
    Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    You’re only telling us now??!!?? The Packers never contacted you before making this pick??!!? Won’t they ever learn??!!??

  16. Great to see cheesey leading the charge of us Viking fans chirping on a Packer thread. We love to do that because because we have no real championship history to crow about.

  17. So we’re up to 8 1st rounders on the defense now.

    Is that enough to get this unit to respectability?

  18. I like drafting 1st round players who are able to start on their college tesm

  19. Wow….a handful of Barneys don’t like the Packers 1st round pick, color me shocked. 😳

  20. No faith in Gary it looks like
    //////////////////////

    Gary will probably not play until mid season due to the ACL tear. Preston Smith is 31. Van Ness is his replacement.

  21. Its a good thing the packers put up such a fuss for swapping first round picks with the Jets else someone else might have swooped in a chose Van Ness at 14. 😛 LOLOL
    The packer’s war plans for their dinner at AppleBees last night took more effort

  22. whatjusthappened says:
    April 28, 2023 at 10:32 am
    This guy wasn’t a starter for Iowa. What does that tell you?
    Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    That he’s fresh and not worn out?

  23. He’s Clay Matthews without the hair.
    ============

    Packers all-time sack leader, so we can only hope!

    (although Willie Davis is the ‘unofficial’ all-time leader)

  24. Viking Fan Blames Officials…..Everybody Drink says:
    April 28, 2023 at 10:18 am
    Wow….a handful of Barneys don’t like the Packers 1st round pick, color me shocked
    /////
    I actually can’t find one report from industry experts that state this was a quality pick at a quality spot. He’s not a bad player at all, he just wasn’t graded nearly this high is all. Round 2 would have been solid.

  25. whatjusthappened says:
    April 28, 2023 at 10:32 am
    This guy wasn’t a starter for Iowa. What does that tell you?

    25Rate This

    It tells me he still led the team in sacks, snaps and tackles for loss his 2 years because it’s the Iowa Coach’s culture to start Seniors regardless if there’s better people sitting on the bench. But then you already knew that.

  26. Shouldn’t be any thumbs down on any critical comments of Packer drafts. They totally whiffed again. Let’s see…need wr and tight end. At 13 had their pick at either position. Top guy. But nope, let’s take the 4th or 5th best edge rusher. This organization is about to learn how 30 years of Favre and Rodgers covered for the total idiocy of the front office and general managers, excluding Wolf. Hall of Fame quarterbacking hid a lot of trouble. That doesn’t exist now so it will be exposed. Morons. Just an incredible lack of awareness.

  27. Aaron Kampman, Bryan Bulaga, Mike Daniels, Micah Hyde

    … sure, I’ll take another Iowa guy

  28. They could have done better. Overall, GB management does not have a very good draft record. Yes, there have been some gems, but there has also been a lot of duds (i.e., Tony Mandarich).

  29. I actually can’t find one report from industry experts that state this was a quality pick at a quality spot.
    ===========

    Than you’ve never heard of Todd McShay

  30. KnowsMoreThanYou says:

    I actually can’t find one report from industry experts that state this was a quality pick at a quality spot

    ++++++

    Industry experts that have about a 50% hit rate, historically? Why bother looking?

  31. “I like drafting 1st round players who are able to start on their college team” . . . me, too. You know, like Laquan Treadwell, Christian Ponder, Erasmus James, Troy Williamson, Dimitrius Underwood . . .

  32. >> otheirony says: Let’s see…need wr and tight end. <<

    GB already drafted 2 young WRs in 2022. Gute will grab a vet in Free Agency to continue their development and fill-out the position in later rounds and with UDFAs.

    TE at #13 would've been a reach. Michael Mayer is still available in R2 and this draft is deep at the position, so still plenty of value to be had.

    If you want to talk about GB's needs:
    (1) No timeline for Rashan Gary to return, and
    (2) Preston Smith turns 31 and is in the last year of his contract.

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