Tag: Lukas Van Ness

Is Georgia OT Amarius Mims this year’s Lukas Van Ness for Packers?

Inexperienced but talented. Young but elite athletically. Two monsters along the line of scrimmage. Could Amarius Mims be this year’s version of Lukas Van Ness for the Packers?

Each year there are a few prospects who scream “Green Bay Packers draft pick.” This year, one of those players is Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims, who could be the 2024 version of Lukas Van Ness for the Packers.

Although Mims and Van Ness play two completely different positions on opposite sides of the ball, there is quite a bit in common between the two when it comes for what the Packers look for in their first-round selections.

Both players were relatively inexperienced coming out of their respective colleges. Van Ness played 940 career snaps at Iowa, all of which came in his final two seasons. Mims, meanwhile, played just 803 snaps from 2021 through 2023.

Both players, however, possess tremendous upside so their lack of snaps compared to others can be overlooked, to a degree. While all teams want immediate help, the draft is about selecting players based on who teams believe they can become, not who they are on draft night, and there aren’t many teams who display this kind of patience like the Packers do.

Contributing to the massive upside that Van Ness and Mims have is their athletic testing. Van Ness posted an elite Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.39 during the pre-draft process. This was the seventh-best mark among all edge rushers in what was a deep 2023 draft class.

Mims, who measures in at 6-7, weighs 340 pounds, and has over 36-inch arms, recorded an elite RAS as well, scoring 9.58 out of 10. Again, in what is an extremely deep 2024 tackle draft class, this was the eighth-best RAS recorded.

Age is also often a factor in the decision-making process for the Packers in the first round of the draft. Van Ness was 21 years old when he was drafted and Mims will be as well.

In addition to all of that, both players play two of the most important positions in the game – getting after the quarterback and protecting the quarterback – which we know the Packers value highly.

One could also make the point that neither edge rusher in 2023, with Preston Smith and Rashan Gary, nor offensive tackle in 2024, with Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom, were needs that the Packers have to address in the first round.

Mims played his entire career at Georgia at right tackle. Over the last two seasons, he hasn’t surrendered a sack and allowed just five pressures in 364 pass-blocking snaps. He’s also graded out well as a run-blocker by PFF’s metrics.

It’s clear, especially in the first round of the draft, that the Packers have a type, and this extends beyond Brian Gutekunst’s tenure as GM. Going into last year’s draft, Van Ness checked just about every box that the Packers look for, and as you can see, Mims follows a very similar path.

Pair of Packers rookies recently fined for on-field rules violations

Packers rookie Lukas Van Ness and Anthony Johnson were both fined over the last month for violations falling under the league’s gameday accountability umbrella.

A quick update on fines falling under the NFL’s gameday accountability umbrella: Green Bay Packers rookie outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness and rookie safety Anthony Johnson Jr. were both recently fined for infractions.

Van Ness was fined $10,927 for unnecessary roughness during the Packers’ Week 12 win over the Detroit Lions. The play came on a two-point conversion by the Lions in the third quarter; Van Ness was penalized 15 yards for his involvement in a scuffle between the two teams following the conversion.

Johnson was fined $4,283 for unnecessary roughness during the Packers’ Week 14 loss to the New York Giants. The play came in the first quarter on a punt return; Johnson was penalized for an illegal blindside block. Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia believed the penalty was incorrectly called, but the NFL reviewed the play and deemed it worthy of a fine.

Van Ness and Johnson became the seventh and eighth Packers player to be fined by the NFL under the gameday accountability umbrella this season.

The league is posting all fined penalties and actions from the previous week on Saturdays this season.

From the NFL: “Players subject to accountability measures receive a letter informing them of what they did, a video of the play in question, why they are being fined and how much it will cost them. They also receive information on how to appeal the fine. If they choose not to appeal, the fine is withheld from their next game check.”

All appeals are handled appeals officers James Thrash and Derrick Brooks, two former players appointed by the NFL and NFLPA. Fines are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation.

Packers Wire will track the on-field penalties and resulting fines in recurring posts each week.

Week 1: LB De’Vondre Campbell ($10,927), CB Rasul Douglas ($13,659)
Week 3: CB Rasul Douglas ($11,473), TE Ben Sims ($4,167)
Week 8: OLB Kingsley Enagbare ($5,170)
Week 9: OLB Rashan Gary ($10,927)
Week 10: OT Zach Tom ($5,534)
Week 12: OLB Lukas Van Ness ($10,927)
Week 14: S Anthony Johnson Jr. ($4,283)

Understanding of ‘pre-snap process’ powers Lukas Van Ness’ recent production for Packers

Packers rookie Lukas Van Ness is playing more and producing more over the last few weeks.

After a long, quiet stretch for Green Bay Packers edge rusher Lukas Van Ness, the rookie first-round pick has come on strong over the last four games.

Since Week 12, Van Ness has recorded six pressures and two sacks while averaging about 23 snaps per contest during that span. Out of 113 eligible edge rushers over those four games, Van Ness ranks eighth in PFF’s pass-rush productivity metric, which takes into account the number of pressures generated relative to the number of pass-rush opportunities a player has had.

This recent surge from Van Ness comes on the heels of what was a dry spell from a production standpoint and shows the growth he’s experiencing in his first NFL season. Van Ness has 13 total pressures on the season, with six coming over the last four games. If we take away his five-pressure performance in Week 1 against Chicago, Van Ness went nine games, from Weeks 2 through 11, creating just two combined pressures while still being on the field for roughly 20 snaps per game.

“That transition is huge for a man’s success in the transition in this league,” said pass rush coordinator Jason Rebrovich. “Has he done that? Yeah. We’re how many weeks deep into the NFL season for him, and has he progressed? Yea. You can see that happened when he transitioned in the red zone to get himself the opportunity to make a play on No. 15 (Patrick Mahomes).”

Van Ness entered the NFL with terrific size at 6-5 and 269 pounds and elite athletic testing, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 9.39. That in itself at the edge rusher position can give a player a high floor. However, what he lacked was experience at the position, and he needed overall refinement to his game.

Coming out of Iowa, Van Ness is what many would have classified as raw, playing fewer than 900 career snaps, with the majority of them coming as an interior defensive lineman. It wasn’t until his final season that he fully transitioned to more of an edge rusher.

In the early going of this season, you saw a player with an incredible combination of burst and strength. But what was missing was that secondary pass rush move and, at times, a plan of attack as a pass rusher. Against NFL talent, pass rushers simply can’t run around or through every offensive tackle, and need to be able to counter on the fly.

“When you say improvement,” added Rebrovich, “to me, there’s a few stages of that. When you’re doing improvement, there’s a pre-snap process. The thing about transitioning from college, defensive linemen, outside linebackers, when they look to the sideline right now in college football, it’s a picture, and it’s telling you what to do. There is no pre-snap process. They don’t know if it’s a near-gun set, or far-gun. They don’t know who the tackle set is. They don’t even know how to line up half the time.

“So that pre-snap process is a huge part of developing him throughout this process, and he’s doing a hell of a job with it because he’s a smart, gifted kid.”

Along with Van Ness’ improved understanding of the pre-snap process and how to then best execute on what he’s seeing, for the entire Green Bay defensive front, we’ve seen more stunts utilized this season to cause some chaos for the offensive line and to give Van Ness and the other pass rushers more free runs or one-on-one opportunities.

“We call it SAKRAT,” said Rebrovich of the pre-snap process. “Stance, alignment, key, recognize formation, and technique. So we go through that pre-snap process.”

In selecting Van Ness, the Packers knew that there would be a learning curve for him, and in having Rashan Gary and Preston Smith to lean on, they had the luxury of bringing the rookie along slowly. As is often the case with Green Bay’s draft picks, it’s about the long-term upside versus the instant gratification of a more immediate-impact player.

As is the case for any young player, it will be important that Van Ness continues on this upward trajectory and finishes out the season strong–making what we’ve seen from him recently the norm rather than having it be the outlier. But we are starting to see the production-side of things come after patience was initially required.

Packers OLB Lukas Van Ness making strides but room for growth with nuances of position

The Packers rookie edge rusher hasn’t made a big impact but he’s progressing in Year 1.

Green Bay Packers edge rusher and first-round pick Lukas Van Ness has made progress this season, but he still has a way to go in his development as he continues to learn and perfect the nuances that come with playing this position.

“Is Lukas coming along? Absolutely he is,” said OLB coach Jason Rebrovich on Wednesday.

From a snap count standpoint, Van Ness has been the fourth man in the Packers regular four-man edge rusher rotation this season, playing 104 snaps against the run and 100 as a pass rusher. With those pass rush opportunities, there have been flashes, but as is the case for many young players, consistency eludes Van Ness. He has currently logged seven pressures, including one sack through nine games, and ranks 82nd out of 112 eligible edge rushers in PFF’s pass-rush win rate metric.

“Like we said from day one,” added Rebrovich, “he’s a freak of a nature kid. He comes in here and works everyday. He wants to work. He wants to get better. So all of those things are taking the right steps. He has the right mentality. The process of things, he’s developing through his first year in the NFL for longevity of time. It’s coming through this process that he’s continuing to get better.”

Van Ness has seen the majority of his playing time come on early downs this season. He’s progressed as a run defender as the year has gone on and is currently ranked 44th out of 108 edge rushers in run stop rate. However, the decision to play him more so on first and second downs also has to do with who his running mates are. On those third down, or more obvious passing situations, Preston Smith and Rashan Gary are better equipped to get after the quarterback.

There are a lot of nuances that come with being an edge rusher, beyond just going from point A to point B as quickly and as disruptively as possible. In the grand scheme of it all, Van Ness is still relatively new to this position, beginning his career at Iowa as a interior defensive lineman and playing fewer than 300 collegiate snaps lined up as a true edge rusher.

“The equation is that we feel there are other guys who can rush a little bit more and understand,” Rebrovich said. “Each week, 70 vs. 79, 77 vs. 70. There’s some ideas of how we want to rush these guys. It’s introducing Lukas to understanding how to rush these guys from week to week to week.

“That’s what we have to do as coaches, develop that throughout the week so he can understand, yep, I’ve got to work this move on this side at third-and-seven versus third-and-four. I’ve got to work this move on this side as opposed to third-and-six versus third-and-15. There’s all those little intricacies that go into it that has that process to understand.”

With his size, speed, and athleticism, Van Ness has disruptive traits that give him a high-floor as a player. However, right now it’s about marrying those abilities with the learned nuances of playing the position, and Green Bay’s defensive scheme. The Packers have dialed up a lot of stunts for Van Ness – nearly 50 percent of his pass rush attempts – to help give him a free run at the quarterback. But as Ben Fennell summed up well recently, we still haven’t seen that one go-to trait show up consistently. That one element of his game that he can lean on while developing the other aspects.

Part of Van Ness’ continued growth will be having a pass rush plan of attack on each rep, along with developing that secondary pass rush move, so when the speed or power rush doesn’t work, he can counter the offensive tackle so that he isn’t immediately eliminated from the play.

This was a draft pick – in a way similar to the Rashan Gary selection in 2019 – that the Packers knew would take time to develop. Van Ness is still a young player and one that is still relatively inexperienced at his position. Van Ness has made strides this season, but there is still plenty of room to grow. He has the physical tools and capability, now it’s about putting all of those pieces together with the other aspects of playing edge rusher and continuing to build over the Packers final eight games.

“The kid came in,” said Rebrovich, “and we all know the numbers he ran, he’s a freak of nature, for lack of a better way to say. But luckily for us he’s on our team. Another work ethic guy. You want to talk about effort? That’s what turned this guy into, and hopefully continue to grow into that next step, that next level that we are all striving for.”

Packers OLB Lukas Van Ness ready for Saints after strong start to rookie season

Lukas Van Ness has been productive over his first two games, and his elbow was fine after an injury scare in Week 2.

Green Bay Packers edge rusher Lukas Van Ness has enjoyed a promising start to his first NFL season. He is already getting a healthy dose of snaps (53 in the first two games) and has totaled four tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack. Also, according to Pro Football Focus, Van Ness’ five quarterback pressures rank third among rookie edge rushers.

Not a bad start by any means for a young player who is still developing, but how does the 13th overall pick feel about his production so far?

“I feel like personally I’ve left a lot on the bone, but I’ve been excited with some of the things I’ve been able to put out there,” said Van Ness.

Van Ness announced his presence with authority in the team’s dominating win over the Bears in Week 1 when he showcased his athleticism on a sack against Justin Fields. As one of the best scrambling quarterbacks in the NFL, Fields is tough to bring down in the open field due to his speed and elusiveness. However, when he tried to escape the pocket during the second quarter of the season opener, Van Ness closed in on him in a hurry for his first career sack.

“It obviously felt good to get that first win in Chicago, but again, moving forward, week-to-week here, we’ve got a good one coming up Sunday and I have to continue to produce and help this defense as much as I can,” he said.

In a business where you’re only as good as your previous game, Green Bay Week 2’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons was far less fruitful for Van Ness and basically the entire defense. The Packers allowed 446 yards and surrendered a 12-point fourth-quarter lead to lose 25-24. Van Ness finished with two tackles but failed to register a single pressure before exiting early with an elbow injury.

Fortunately, he received good news regarding his injury and was back on the practice field Wednesday wearing a protective sleeve on his right elbow. Van Ness said he shouldn’t have to miss the home opener against the New Orleans Saints.

“I just got it bruised in there a little bit. Again, taking it day by day, but should be good to go.”

Off to a 2-0 start, New Orleans will be another good challenge for the Packers. They are led by a stout defense and a productive offense, which currently ranks 10th overall. Meanwhile, Green Bay is sitting at 27th in total defense and need a rebound performance.

“All credit to Atlanta, but again, we feel we have a good opportunity this week,” Van Ness said. “Every single week, we harp on just being our own defense, going out there and doing the right things. We truly believe we can be the best defense in the league if we do that. Again, we got another task and another challenge this weekend and I’m excited to see how we do.”

Packers rookie class makes profound impact in Week 1 victory

The Packers got big impact from the 2023 rookie class during their Week 1 win over the Bears.

You never get a second chance to make first impressions, and the Green Bay Packers’ 2023 draft class left a mark during their first action on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

“I was really proud of our young guys,” head coach Matt LaFleuer said following the game. “I’m not quite sure how many rookies we had out there today, but there were a lot of them…That rookie class has got just, they love ball.”

Lukas Van Ness, Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Anders Carlson, Colby Wooden, and Karl Brooks all made an impact during Green Bay’s 38-20 victory against the Bears on Sunday.

Van Ness, the 13th overall pick showed off the athleticism that made him a Top 15 pick when he chased down Justin Fields for his first career sack on second down near the goalline that helped keep the Bears out of the endzone. To go along with his first career sack, Van Ness logged five pressures on 35 snaps.

Luke Musgrave, the 42nd overall pick reeled in three receptions for 50 yards. Musgrave also had a key block on an Aaron Jones third down run that kept Green Bay’s opening drive alive. His stumbling 37-yard catch in the fourth quarter set up a touchdown. 

Jayden Reed, the 50th overall pick made an impact on offense and special teams. The dynamic wide receiver caught two passes for 48 yards. On special teams, Reed had a 35-yard punt return in the third quarter that set the Packers up at Chicago’s 42-yard line. The Packers scored four plays later on a touchdown pass from Jordan Love to Aaron Jones to go up 24-6.

Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, a pair of day three defensive linemen combined to play 65 snaps. The duo recorded seven pressures (four for Wooden, three for Brooks) and one sack (Brooks). 

Anders Carlson, the 207th overall pick was perfect in his pro debut. The Auburn kicker made his lone field goal attempt and went 5-5 on extra point attempts. The rookie kicker drilled a 52-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to put the Packers up 10-6 at the break.

Rookie of the Game

After a turbulent training camp and preseason, it was great to see Carlson put together a perfect afternoon on the road at Soldier Field. His 52-yard field goal right before halftime would have been good from 60-yards.

There are bound to be bumps in the road during his rookie season, but a perfect start to the season will go a long way for Carlson’s confidence moving forward. 

Watch: First career sack for Packers first-round pick Lukas Van Ness

Packers rookie Lukas Van Ness took down Justin Fields for his first career sack in his NFL debut against the Bears.

Green Bay Packers rookie edge rusher Lukas Van Ness produced his first career sack in the first half of his NFL debut on Sunday in Chicago.

On a second-down play in the second quarter, Van Ness — the Packers’ first-round pick in 2023 — chased down Bears quarterback Justin Fields in the open field and tossed him out of bounds for a 7-yard loss.

Off a play-action fake, Fields attempted to break contain and get around the corner, but Van Ness — even at 275 pounds — closed the gap and made the play. It was an impressive display of athleticism from the 13th overall pick.

The Van Ness sack resulted in a loss and set up 3rd-and-goal. Rasul Douglas broke up the ensuing pass, forcing the Bears to settle for a field goal on what was otherwise an encouraging drive.

Van Ness produced 13.5 sacks over his final two seasons at Iowa. He’s been a rotational pass-rusher for the Packers so far in his NFL debut.

The Packers took an early 7-0 lead on Jordan Love’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs. The Bears have since cut the lead to 7-6 in the first half.

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Packers rookie Lukas Van Ness feeling more ‘comfortable’ as he navigates learning curve

Lukas Van Ness is getting more and more comfortable during his first training camp as he learns how to play edge rusher in the NFL.

Green Bay Packers rookie edge rusher and first-round pick Lukas Van Ness is more comfortable now a few weeks into training camp, but like any first-year player, he is navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump to the NFL.

“I feel a lot more comfortable,” said Van Ness after Tuesday’s practice. “Two weeks in the preseason, I think we got about 10 – 15 practices under my belt. Every day is another opportunity to get a little more comfortable. Learn the system. Try some new plays out. Just day to day.”

From Van Ness’ first practice rep during rookie minicamp a few months ago, it was easy to see the burst and power he possesses. There have been several instances where he has put blockers on skates, including Yosh Nijman, Josiah Deguara, and most recently, Rasheed Walker, driving them into the backfield.

This ability as a power rusher is where Van Ness thrives—going from point A to point B in a straight line. However, there is also a rawness to his game as well, something that has also been evident. At the NFL level, Van Ness cannot run through every offensive tackle he lines up against and will need to develop a secondary pass-rush move.

He also needs a better plan of attack as a pass rusher. In his hastiness to get after the quarterback, there have been instances where he has lost where the ball is or run into his own teammate. Van Ness is still relatively new to the edge rusher position, having spent the majority of his snaps at Iowa lined up as an interior defender before making the official position change his final season.

“Just been transitioning,” said Van Ness. “Coming from Iowa where I have my hand in the ground and getting used to that two-point stance.

“Just vision, and learning what’s coming,” added Van Ness. “Having recognition. There’s different times you can get in that three point, but it’s just it different for me, getting comfortable, but more than anything, having vision, having an understanding of what you’re getting.”

In 28 pass-rush snaps this preseason, the sixth-most on the team, Van Ness has accumulated two total pressures, according to PFF, along with two stops in the run game.

In practices, Van Ness has had stretches, like on Tuesday, where he was able to make plays, getting into the backfield. He’s also had stretches where he’s been relatively quiet. He has seen his share of snaps with the starting defense over the summer, an opportunity to get him valuable reps, but where exactly he fits into this edge rusher rotation is still a bit unknown.

It’s quite possible that he could be the fifth member of that rotation, behind Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, an emerging JJ Enagbare, and the steady veteran presence that Justin Hollins brings. Van Ness’ rookie season could end up looking somewhat similar to Gary’s, who played just over 20 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in his first year. We’ve seen this blueprint from the Packers before.

However, even if that’s the case, Van Ness will have a role on this team as a rookie, which will most likely come during obvious passing situations where he can just go and get the quarterback. Green Bay has also used him quite often this preseason on stunts in an effort to give him a free run at the quarterback, and although we haven’t seen it yet, GM Brian Gutekunst mentioned after the draft that Van Ness could be used as a stand up pass rusher over the center on passing downs, just as they did with Za’Darius Smith.

“This is part of the sport we play,” said Van Ness. “It’s alright to feel some nerves and want to go out there to make some plays. But more than anything, just go out there with the mentality you want to affect the game any way possible, and if we do that, those plays will come to you. I’m not worried or overwhelmed by any means to go out and make plays. I just know if I keep my routine, go out there, and work hard, it will come.”

Where Van Ness is at currently shouldn’t be all that surprising. During the pre-draft process, it was well-known that he was a power pass rusher with elite physical traits who was also a bit raw from a technique standpoint. But with his athletic traits, he also has a very high ceiling, playing one of the game’s most important positions. Although he is feeling more comfortable a few weeks into practice and is flashing his pass rush ability, like many rookies, he is still navigating the learning curve that comes with making the leap to the NFL.

“I’m just here to help out and help the team win any way possible,” added Van Ness.

Madden NFL 24 ratings revealed for Iowa Hawkeyes rookies

In addition to their dream of making the NFL, another childhood dream has been realized for five Hawkeye rookies: Welcome to Madden NFL 24!

Becoming a playable character in a video game is a dream come true for all professional athletes. Few moments signify that you made it more than being forever immortalized in a video game.

We all grew up as kids playing sports games and putting ourselves into the game. I 100% spent hours on early Maddens and NBA 2Ks painstakingly trying to replicate myself in the game. I never quite ended up as that 6-foot-5 gunslinger of a quarterback, unfortunately.

Those days of long hours in the creation suite are over for these former Iowa Hawkeyes. For the first time in their lives, these five players are officially playable in Madden. Just like Joe Kingman in The Gameplan, these rookies can now have the satisfaction of leading the charge against their friends on the virtual field.

For Iowa fans, they can now play with five of their favorite former players in Madden 24. Rookies Lukas Van Ness, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, Riley Moss, and Kaevon Merriweather make their official video game debuts in Madden 24. Here is how they stack up to the rest of the competition.

Packers’ top pick Lukas Van Ness is 73 overall in ‘Madden NFL 24’

Packers rookie Lukas Van Ness is a 73 overall in the launch ratings of “Madden NFL 24.”

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Lukas Van Ness, the 13th overall pick in the 2023 draft of the Green Bay Packers, is a 73 overall in the first batch of ratings released by “Madden NFL 24.”

The rookie edge rusher has 86 speed, 91 acceleration, 81 strength, 83 agility, 76 tackle, 90 toughness, 73 change of direction, 78 power moves, 77 block shedding, 83 pursuit, 88 hit power and 70 awareness.

Overall, Van Ness is the fourth-best rookie edge rusher in the launch ratings. He’s also the third-best edge rusher for the Packers, trailing Rashan Gary (88 overall) and Preston Smith (76).

For comparison, Will Anderson, the third overall pick and the top edge rusher selected, is a 78 overall. Tyree Wilson, the seventh overall pick, is 75 overall. Will McDonald, the 15th overall pick, is 74 overall.