GREEN BAY – The Packers stayed close to home with the first of their two sixth-round picks, drafting Green Bay area native Cole Van Lanen with the 214th overall pick.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound offensive lineman started 18 games at left tackle for Wisconsin the past two seasons. He missed the final two games of his redshirt senior year but was still voted first-team All-Big Ten for his five starts in 2020.
A four-star recruit by ESPN and Scout.com, Van Lanen starred in both football and track and field at nearby Bay Port High School in Suamico. He was a two-time, first-team all-state by Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and Associated Press as a junior and senior.
Van Lanen was a two-time Fox River Classic Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year and first-team All-FRCC selection. He also swept discus and shot put titles at 2015 Wisconsin Division 1 state meet as a junior, finishing as the state runner-up in both discus and shot put as a sophomore.
Van Lanen is the first Bay Port alumnus to be drafted into the NFL since fellow Badger Dan Buenning in 2005 (fourth round, Tampa Bay).
