In the days, weeks, and months leading up to the NFL Draft, most draft analysts projected that the Green Bay Packers would select a wide receiver, offensive lineman, or tight end with their first-round selection. General manager Brian Gutekunst bypassed all those options and drafted Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness instead, marking the seventh defensive player taken by the organization in the first round since Gutekunst took over at the helm in 2018. 

Even though the OTAs and mini-camp have not featured any pads, “Hercules” has impressed those inside the building. 

Athletic. Smart. Cerebral.

You'll know the name.#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/vBq1pX1bMv

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) June 20, 2023

“He has a lot of things that can help this team. I think he has his head in the right place. He comes to work hard every day and has a high motor,” outside linebacker Preston Smith said. 

“He’s a very, very smart, cerebral kid,” pass rush specialist Jason Rebrovich said. 

“Lukas is going to be one hell of a player for us,” outside linebacker Rashan Gary said. 

After the first round, Gutekunst met with the press and acknowledged that Van Ness’ versatility was "something that is very important to us." Defensive coordinator Joe Barry recently stressed Van Ness’ versatility as well, remarking that he’s “athletic enough that we’re going to stand him up and play him on the edge, but then also, big and physical enough that we’ll be able to move him up and down all over the line.”

Thus, should Van Ness be in the three-point stance for a majority of his snaps, or should he be utilized both inside and outside? 

Greg Cosell, a senior producer for NFL Films and an executive producer for ESPN’s NFL Matchup, remarked on a recent episode of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast that Van Ness should not be used as an outside linebacker, but rather as a pure defensive lineman. 

“I read that they’re going to make Van Ness an outside backer. Look, they know more than I do. They’re with them. I did not see Lukas Van Ness as that kind of player,” Cosell said. “I actually saw him more as a J.J. Watt kind of player. And I don’t want people to think that I’m saying he’s exactly J.J. Watt. I’m talking stylistically, how we can be deployed in the context of a defense. I saw him as a defensive lineman who could play literally every position along the defensive front.” 

Throughout the team’s offseason practices, Van Ness drilled with the outside linebacker group, which included Smith, second-year player Kingsley Enagbare, and fifth-year Justin Hollins, but Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com acknowledged in a recent article that Van Ness could move to the inside “to help as an interior rusher on passing downs” once Gary is cleared to return by the medical staff after tearing his ACL in Week 9 of the 2022 season. 

The average height and weight of NFL defensive ends for the 2022 season was 6-foot-4 and 277.38 pounds, whereas the average height and weight for all NFL linebackers for the 2022 season was roughly 6-foot-2 and 240.7 pounds. 

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 272 pounds, Van Ness' weight is a little bit below average, but not by a staggering amount. Does Van Ness have the strength to hold his own as someone that would primarily be in a three-point stance? He only produced 17 bench press reps at the NFL Combine, though scouts in the pre-draft process pointed out that his strength on the field is an asset.

Notwithstanding that, he has the athleticism to play inside or outside. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds at the Combine, tied for ninth among defensive ends, and registered a three-cone drill of 7.02 and a 20-yard shuttle of 4.32. Those two figures were second-best among defensive ends. Van Ness' 34" arm length and 81.75" wingspan should also not hinder him from making an impact at either defensive end or outside linebacker. 

Given that the Packers need all the pass rush help they can get at this point in time, it may make the most sense for Barry to deploy him both as a stand-up rusher and as a defensive end, similar to how the Dallas Cowboys utilize Micah Parsons, who is 6-foot-3 and, as of last month, weighs 252 pounds. (In no way am I saying that Van Ness is currently anywhere close to Parson's level.)

In Parson's rookie season, one in which he won Defensive Rookie of the Year after registering 13 sacks and 20 tackles for loss, he played 55.2% of his snaps at linebacker and 41.5% of his snaps at defensive end. Last season, he played 18.6% of his snaps at linebacker and 80.5% of his snaps at defensive end en route to his second first-team All-Pro honor. 

Altogether, putting Van Ness in a position to succeed, whether that is at defensive end or outside linebacker (or a mix of both), will go a long way toward his overall development as a playmaker.