Draft results: Packers pick Lukas Van Ness with No. 13 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

The Green Bay Packers have drafted Iowa DE Lukas Van Ness with the No. 13 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Scouting Report

Defensive linemen don't get a nickname like “Hercules” without the power to back it up. Van Ness has a chiseled physique he uses to find leverage and win at the point of attack. He's also explosive, blasting out of his stance to quickly get into and around his blocker.

Van Ness posses a beautiful spin move, but he'll have to expand on his arsenal of pass rushing moves as well as his hand work at the next level, where raw power won't be enough.

Career statistics

After a redshirt year in 2020, he burst onto the scene with the Hawkeyes in 2021, notching 33 tackles, 8.5 for a loss, and seven sacks, leading the team in that department, over 14 games. Last year, he had 11 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks in 13 games, despite not starting in any of them. He also has two blocked kicks on his resume

How can Lukas Van Ness impact the Packers in 2023?

Van Ness is an interesting choice here, as Green Bay could've given Jordan Love another good wide receiver. He provides a solid defensive presence and moved between the edge and the interior of the defensive line. At the very least, he provides much-needed depth behind Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt. Van Ness be able to start on this defense line, but it really just depends on how Green Bay wants to line up.

  
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