Packers Sign First-Round Pick Lukas Van Ness

With their No. 1 pick under contract, only second-round picks Luke Musgrave and Jayden Reed remain unsigned.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jun 27, 2023 6:12 PM EDT

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers on Tuesday announced the signing of their first-round draft pick, Lukas Van Ness.

NFL rookie contracts are slotted into predetermined values. Thus, as the 13th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, Van Ness was expected to sign a four-year contract worth $17.388 million. As is the case for all first-round picks, every penny of that is guaranteed – including the $9.646 million signing bonus.

The Packers have the power to keep Van Ness through the 2027 season via the fifth-year option.

Van Ness spent three seasons at Iowa, including a redshirt year in 2020. He was a Freshman All-American in 2021 and second-team all-Big Ten in 2022. Without starting a game in two seasons, he finished his career with 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for losses.

“He’s a strong, physical kid,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of Van Nees on draft night. “With Tristan Wirfs, the one thing I told people when Tristan was coming out – Tristan was a third-year player and was 20 and was a pretty good player at that point, too.

“But I just told them, ‘What you really have to do is look down the road two, three years. That’s where I really think you’re going to get a better picture of what he really is.’ Tristan’s gone on and done a great job. I think Lukas, as good as he is right now, I think he's still got a lot to tap into.”

At the Scouting Combine, Van Ness measured 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds. With a 4.58 in the 40-yard dash, his Relative Athletic Score was 9.39. So, he has the physical tools. The key when training camp open next month will be to put it all together.

Even with Rashan Gary out while rehabbing a torn ACL, Van Ness ran mostly with the third team during the offseason practices, with Preston Smith and Justin Hollins forming the No. 1 tandem and Kingsley Enagbare and La'Darius Hamilton getting most of the second-team action.

“It takes time to establish and be a pass rusher in this league,” outside linebackers coach Jason Rebrovich said at the start of OTAs. “There’s a big transition with it comes to rookies. There’s high expectations, especially when you’re a first-round (pick).

“Let’s call it what it is: He’s a first-round draft pick to rush the passer. There’s a lot of pressure on that man. There’s a lot of pressure on every guy that’s out on that grass. As I was talking to him earlier in developing in pass rush, it’s got to be fast, it’s got to be escalated, it’s got to be at a fast pace.”

Green Bay drafted 13 players this year. With Van Ness under contract, only second-round picks Luke Musgrave and Jayden Reed remain unsigned. Why? Guaranteed money.