Green Bay Packers did something in the 2023 NFL Draft that's never been done before
The Green Bay Packers did something in the 2023 NFL Draft that's never been done before. Well, at least that's the case according to league historian Joel Bussert. With the No. 13 overall selection in the draft (Green Bay moved up to No. 13 via the Aaron Rodgers trade with the New York Jets), the […]
The Green Bay Packers did something in the 2023 NFL Draft that's never been done before.
Well, at least that's the case according to league historian Joel Bussert.
With the No. 13 overall selection in the draft (Green Bay moved up to No. 13 via the Aaron Rodgers trade with the New York Jets), the Packers drafted Iowa defensive end/linebacker Lukas Van Ness, which ended up being a historical selection.
NBC Sports' Peter King noted that Van Ness is believed to be the first player ever selected in the first round of the draft that didn't start a single game in college.
It's a nugget that Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton pointed out to King ahead of the draft.
Van Ness, an Illinois native who played hockey growing up, explained to King after the draft why he never started at Iowa.
From NBC Sports: “I played hockey all my life growing up. I’m a big guy, so I was a [Zdeno] Chara fan. I was relatively new to football in high school, but I got into it. I went to the Iowa camp after my junior year and got offered and I accepted. I always appreciated how honest Iowa was. Coach [Kirk] Ferentz said to me: ‘Lukas, we’re a developmental program. We prepare you to be a successful player in the Big 10. But it’s a process.’ I respected it, understood it. I came in as a 6-5, 220-pound D-lineman. Redshirted my first year (2020). Got into nutrition, the weight room, learned all the positions in the defensive scheme. John and Joe, two really good players at defensive end, earned those spots. I respected the coaches’ decision, and respected the coaches knew what they were doing. But it did light a fire in me, because I knew I had to earn every snap. I fully believe in the process. I fully believe I would not be here in this position today if I went anyplace else and didn’t go through the development I had at Iowa.”
The "games started" statistic in football is pretty much pointless unless you're talking about a quarterback. All it signifies is who was on the field for the first snap of the game (which can be dependent on the play call).
Van Ness, by the way, actually played more snaps than the players that started over him at Iowa (King noted that Iowa rewards seniority in the program, which is a reason why Van Ness didn't "start").
The Packers are confident that Van Ness can be a game-changing pass rusher in the NFL. And whether or not he was on the field for the first play of the 27 games he played in college won't have any impact on his ability to get after the quarterback on Sundays.
