Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst is showing a lot of faith in what he has on the defensive side of the football entering the 2025 NFL season. There were many questions directed towards Gutekunst about if he was going to fix the defensive line unit before the 2025 NFL Draft.
Well, he decided to double down on what he has currently on the Packers roster. One player on the roster Gutekunst is banking on to have a big 2025 NFL season is defensive end Lukas Van Ness. He was a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft from the Iowa Hawkeyes. Green Bay’s pass rush struggled to record sacks during the 2024 NFL season.
Green Bay Packers Insider Questions Lukas Van Ness’s Play Entering the 2025 Season
Van Ness will be one of the starting defensive linemen on the Packers roster entering the 2025 NFL season. Matt Schneidman, the Packers writer for The Athletic has one question for this franchise before training camo begins. Schneidman asked,
“Will Lukas Van Ness play like a first-round pick?”
Schneidman followed up his question and said,
“The Packers’ pass rush was too inconsistent for general manager Brian Gutekunst’s liking last season, but he has opted to trust the guys already on the team instead of making a splash offseason addition. The player who needs to take the biggest jump this season, perhaps on the entire team, is 2023 first-round defensive end Lukas Van Ness. He has yet to break out, and his emergence could be the key to a more consistent pass rush, not only because it would mean more production from him but also because it would free up Rashan Gary from double teams and chips that may have slowed him down in the past. “
During the 2024 season with Green Bay, he recorded 33 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Van Ness is going to have to record more sacks, more tackles, and also make more plays for the Packers defense in 2025. The 24-year-old will have to step up in order to not be labeled as a first-round bust. No one on this defense recorded 10 sacks during the 2024 NFL season.
Rashan Gary had the more with 7.5 sacks. If Green Bay is going to get back to the playoffs, Van Ness will need to be a major disruptor, especially since the Packers face talented offenses in the NFC North division. If he doesn’t perform in 2025, there is a chance that Green Bay misses the playoffs, and many fans will question Gutekunst’s job security as well moving forward.
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