Former Iowa Hawkeyes Star Slammed With Scathing 'Bust' Prediction

This former Iowa Hawkeyes star has been hit with a rather rough prediction heading into the 2025 NFL season.

Sep 25, 2021; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness (91) and defensive lineman John Waggoner (92) react during the third quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Former Iowa Hawkeyes star Lukas Van Ness has not exactly gotten off to an auspicious start in his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers.

Van Ness was selected by the Packers with the 13th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and was expected to quickly develop into a crucial part of Green Bay's defensive line, but instead, he has had a very limited impact.

The defensive end finished with 32 tackles and four sacks during his rookie campaign, which is not bad for a debut season. However, Van Ness then took a step back in 2024, totaling 33 tackles and three sacks. And that was after seeing a slight uptick in playing time.

All eyes will be on Van Ness heading into 2025, but Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports is not anticipating a whole lot from the 23-year-old.

Benjamin notes the fact that Packers head coach Matt LaFleur isn't entirely sure what position Van Ness should play isn't exactly a good sign, and he is actually predicting that Van Ness "will bust" in 2025 and beyond.

The 6-foot-5, 272-pound pass rusher spent two years at Iowa in 2021 and 2022, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the Big Ten. He rattled off 33 tackles, nine tackles for loss and seven sacks during his freshman season and then followed that up by recording 38 stops, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in Year 2.

We'll see if Van Ness can finally break out in Green Bay this coming fall, but as of right now, things are not looking good for the former Hawkeyes standout.

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