Lukas Van Ness might end up applying some of his pass-rushing prowess on the interior of the Packers' defensive line in Year 3.
The 2023 first-round selection has seven sacks in two seasons lining up on the edge, but local reporters noticed he took some reps positioned inside during Tuesday's organized team activities. Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed at his post-practice news conference that the 23-year-old could end up contributing at defensive tackle on obvious passing downs.
"Yeah, I think situationally you can do that," LaFleur said when asked if splitting time inside and outside might help unlock Van Ness. "I think in known passing situations there's some thought around that. A lot of it's gonna be dependent on everybody else, as well. Lukas has shown a lot of growth and I'm excited to see him once we get pads on, and really all those guys how they compete."
Van Ness, a raw product when Green Bay selected him who spent time developing as a rotational player his first two seasons, has a path to starting opposite Rashan Gary at the Packers' other edge spot, where he played 355 snaps during the 2024 campaign. It's expected as a first-round pick entering the middle portion of his rookie deal, but he will need to beat out Kingsley Enagbare, considering it was the 2022 fifth-rounder -- not Van Ness -- who made seven starts there last year following the midseason trade of Preston Smith.
The Packers tied for the eighth in the NFL last season with 45 sacks, so they're not in desperate need of finding new ways to generate pressure. Green Bay is also plenty dangerous to the quarterback with its top two defensive tackles -- Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt -- in the game. The two have combined for 19 sacks over the past two seasons.
But Van Ness, who took 20 DT snaps in 2024, according to PFF, indeed offers an intriguing mismatch opportunity in specific scenarios given his size-speed combination. While Clark and Wyatt, both 6-foot-3, respectively weigh 314 and 304 pounds, Van Ness stands at 6-foot-5 and 272 pounds. He could knife through the middle, straight the to the signal-caller, far quicker than Green Bay's hog mollies.
Whatever amount of opportunities he ultimately sees in the interior, Van Ness will undoubtedly spend the majority of his time lined up where the Packers drafted him to play, still in need of plenty of polish at his primary position. LaFleur, who remarked Van Ness has come into the offseason program with a "different confidence level," hinted as much when asked about creating pressure as a unit.
"In today's world of football, the more versatility you show -- it doesn't matter what phase we're talking about -- but the more versatility, I think it's harder to prepare for," LaFleur said regarding the team's front four as a whole. "I think the challenge is there's a fine line in terms of what is too much. Yeah, you want to be versatile, but you want to get good at what you do, as well. The more you do, the less time you have to have meaningful reps at it. So, it's finding that balance there in terms of what is enough flexibility and versatility versus what we can get really good at."
Regardless, it never hurts to experiment with innovative ways to get to the QB.
