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 next.
So far this offseason, Van Ness has been working out in California and feels he's healthy and in the best shape of his life. The Tailgate Tour will serve as a nice break from the workout grind as he travels to meet fans all across the state.
Upon his return, it won't be long before the Packers officially start their offseason program, with the draft mixed in as well.
While edge rushers are certainly on Gutekunst's radar, he does believe the investments made in the defensive line in recent years – first-round pick Devonte Wyatt and fifth-rounder Kingsley Enagbare in '22, plus Van Ness, fourth-rounder Colby Wooden and sixth-rounder Karl Brooks in '23 – should start coming into their own.
"I think we can do everything we need to do with the players we have on our roster right now," Gutekunst said at the league meetings last week. "I think there's a significant amount of improvement for those guys, not only in Year 2 of a scheme but just individually as well. I'm excited to see the growth that those guys will have."
Starting with Van Ness, who shares the collective sentiment.
"Whether we take two guys (or) we take nobody (in the draft), I think we're all going to come to work every day, we're going to compete against each other for our spots, and we're going to work hard," Van Ness said. "I love the guys we have in our room."
