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[Green Bay Packers]

Relative Athletic Score still is a pretty good guide to how the Packers approach the draft

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Brian Gutekunst says the Packers don’t use RAS, but it aligns well with how the Packers pick.

On the Monday before the 2025 NFL Draft, Brian Gutekunst spoke to the media. His interview was as wide-ranging as you’d expect, but within that wide range, Gutekunst got specific about one thing: Relative Athletic Score.

Asked if he incorporates the popular metric into his pre-draft process at all, Gutekunst gave a fairly firm no.

“We don’t use RAS score at all,” Gutekunst said. “We don’t have anything like that. We do have some analytic scores that our analytic people do on their own that measures athletic traits and other things.”

In short, we don’t use it at all, but we do use things like it.

Fair enough. Gutekunst would probably never come right out and say if the Packers did use RAS (if they did), and I’m not sure they should use it directly, anyway. It has its limitations. But factoring in athleticism is worthwhile (football is a game for big athletes, after all), so we should at least ask if what the Packers are doing is meaningfully different from just using RAS.

And as to that question, I think the answer is also no. You can probably approximate whatever athleticism metrics the Packers are using just by using RAS yourself.

I wrote about Gutekunst’s RAS-oriented draft trends in 2020, and the data hasn’t changed much since then. In his now eight years as the Packers’ general manager, Gutekunst’s draft classes have had an average RAS of 8.0 or higher (the threshold for “elite” athleticism) five times. Two additional times, his classes have posted an average RAS of 7.9 or higher. He’s never put together a class with an average RAS below 7.6.

The 2025 class, in particular, showcases how RAS is a good indicator of how the Packers will pick. Matthew Golden and Savion Williams didn’t complete enough tests to produce a RAS number, but Anthony Belton was an 8.14, Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver were a 9.31 and a 9.74, respectively, and Warren Brinson was a 9.1. Even the non-elite testers, Micah Robinson and John Williams, put up a 6.41 and 7.55. Focusing on athleticism alone would have given you a good idea of what the Packers were going to do, especially if you focused on edge rushers after the Packers didn’t take one in the first three rounds.

I’m not here to say whether or not drafting elite athletes is a good idea or to weigh in on Gutekunst’s overall draft strategy, though targeting elite athletes seems like a pretty decent way to find prospects with the highest of ceilings. But it seems clear that even if the Packers aren’t using RAS, it’s a fairly decent approximation for whatever they are using. If you’re looking for guidelines to identify the sort of players the Packers might be interested in taking, RAS and their pre-draft visits would be great places to start.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...d-guide-to-how-the-packers-approach-the-draft

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Who are the 11 players who tried out at Packers rookie minicamp?

Photo by Michael Chisholm/Getty Images

With one spot now open on the roster, the Packers will likely sign one of these players shortly. But don’t rule out the possibility that more than one ends up back in Green Bay at some point this summer.

The Green Bay Packers hosted rookie minicamp over the weekend, and along with 27 players currently counting on the team’s 91-man roster, the Packers also invited 11 additional prospects in on a tryout basis. The Packers have not announced the signing of any of these 11 players, but they did free up one roster spot on Monday afternoon with the release of wide receiver Tulu Griffen.

That move would suggest that the Packers plan to sign at least one member of the tryout group to a contract as they head towards OTAs and veteran minicamp, though they could choose to being multiple aboard with additional releases. Of course, the Packers are no strangers to bringing back rookie camp invitees on contracts later on in the offseason, so it’s worth a quick examination of each of these 11 players to see what value they might be able to bring to the team in 2025 or beyond.

Let’s start with the most-discussed player among the group and work out from there.

QB Taylor Elgersma, Wilfrid Laurier​

The winner of Canada’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, Elgersma was the focus of a profile here at APC after he came to Green Bay on a pre-draft visit. He’s big (6’5, 227) and he apparently has a big arm, at least according to Matt LaFleur. A “live arm” alone might make him a more appealing option than Sean Clifford as a developmental quarterback. For more than Elgersma, check out Justis’ breakdown here.

WR Ali Jennings, Virginia Tech​

Jennings played two seasons each at three different programs, starting at West Virginia in 2019 before transferring to Old Dominion in 2021 and Virginia Tech in 2023. His best numbers came for ODU, as he put up back-to-back seasons with at least 50 catches and 950 yards. With that said, he had a pair of big plays for the Hokies in 2024, including a 62-yard touchdown in the opener against Vanderbilt and a 6-catch, 158-yard game against Duke that included another score of 60-plus.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic reported his Pro Day measurements, which included a 4.65 40 at 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds. His numbers as a whole would provide an overall RAS of 2.92, however.

WR Jaden Smith, Nevada​

Smith looks the part of a Packers receiver, standing an impressive 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 209 pounds. While not a burner (4.57 40), he has at least acceptable agility times and good jumping numbers from his Pro Day, while also having very long arms (34”). In fact, he compares fairly well athletically to current Packer Malik Heath, albeit with a bit of a taller, leaner frame.

There’s a theme here, as Smith started his career at Montana State before transferring to Tarleton State and eventually to Nevada for 2024. There, he led the Wolfpack in all receiving categories, posting a line of 62 catches, 849 yards, and seven scores. Based solely on his build and a solid final college campaign, he seems like a player who could stay on the Packers’ radar through this offseason and into future practice squad consideration.

WR Jack Studer, UW-La Crosse​

Studer was a two-time 1,000-yard receiver at La Crosse, having set career highs in 2023 with 70 catches, 1,567 yards (at 22.4 yards per catch!), and 15 touchdowns. The Eagles won the WIAC that year, even defeating powerhouse UW-Whitewater in a 37-34 thriller that saw Studer score twice and cross the 100-yard mark.

Studer has an odd athletic profile, however. Check out his RAS card to see what I mean. He’s decently-sized (6-foot-1, 203) and has very good explosiveness; his agility numbers are above-average as well, but the straight-line speed just isn’t there (4.69 40, 1.66 10-yard split). That’s the athletic profile of a slot receiver if I’ve ever seen one.

DL Van Fillinger, Utah​

We found a FBS player who didn’t transfer! Fillinger started 37 games for the Utes over his career, primarily playing defensive end, and posted at least five sacks in three different seasons. A Utah native, Fillinger was a consensus 4-star recruit coming out of high school in 2020.

Outside of a slow 40 time, he has a solid testing profile at 6-foot-3-1/2 and 247 pounds — and his first step is apparently pretty good, coming in at an 80th percentile number. His 30 bench press reps at 225 are impressive as well.

LB Luke Gunderson, Northern State​

Ooh, look at that bright green RAS. Gunderson’s Pro Day gave him a 9.29 RAS overall, with elite numbers in the 3-cone, 10-yard split, and bench press. Those movement skills are pretty impressive, and he put up those numbers at a decent enough size (6’2” 241).

Now, you may be thinking “where is Northern State University?” And that’s entirely fair. It’s in Aberdeen, South Dakota, and the athletics programs play in the NSIC in Division II. The Wolves finished 6-4 in the conference last season, coming in behind the likes of Minnesota State, Bemidji State, Minnesota-Duluth, and the conference winners, Augustana University.

For a player at that level of football who is trying to break into the NFL, you’d like to see the stats pop a bit more than Gunderson’s did. He recorded 14.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three interceptions, and ten pass breakups over about two-and-a-half seasons as a starter. Still, there’s athletic ability to work with here, and if nothing else he could be an interesting body type and profile to consider as a special teamer for the near term.

LB Xander Mueller, Northwestern​

Where Gunderson has stats that don’t jump but athleticism that does, Mueller is a bit the opposite. Still, Mueller’s 7.07 RAS is deflated quite a bit by a poor bench press performance at Pro Day (12 reps) and a mediocre 10-yard split, as he actually posted excellent agility times and a very solid 4.69 40.

His production is more impressive, however, racking up tackles and numbers in the Big Ten. Mueller was a three-year starter, totaling 28 TFLs, nine sacks, six interceptions, and three forced fumbles in his career. He also hit triple digits in total tackles in 2023 with 110. That’s high-level production in a big conference, even if he did have a ridiculous 19 tackles in a single game (though naturally, that came in a 10-7 loss to Iowa).

LB Connor Shay, Wyoming​

While Shay is one of the better-known tryout names in camp — largely because he is projected to be the #1 overall pick in the CFL Draft this year — he doesn’t have huge college production like Mueller to match up with his impressive athletic profile. Shay only barely trails Gunderson in overall RAS with a 9.18, but that’s largely due to size as he’s just 6-foot-1-1/2 and 227 pounds.

Notably, however, Shay also has some of the shortest arms you’ll see on a player over six feet, listed at just 30-1/4 inches.

A one-year starter for the Cowboys, Shay totaled 76 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and a pick as a senior. Like Gunderson, this might be a player the Packers would consider giving to Rich Bisaccia to mold into a special teams maniac.

K Gavin Stewart, Georgia Southern​

Stewart spent four years at Georgia Tech, splitting time as the Yellow Jackets’ place-kicker while spending three years as the kickoff specialist. He went 14-for-20 on field goals, but hit 12 of 13 as a sophomore in 2022. After being pushed back to kickoffs only in 2023, Stewart transferred down the road to Georgia Southern for his final college season. There, he finally got a chance to be the full-time kicker and delivered a solid season, going 37-for-39 on PATs and 15-for-18 on field goal attempts (with seven makes from 40-plus and one from 53).

P Brendan Hall, Montana State​

The biggest thing to know about Hall is that he is, well, big. Remember how J.K. Scott looked goofy punting a football? Hall is 6-foot-9, a whopping four inches taller than Scott. Just look at this photo — I swear, 75 percent of his height is in his legs.

Hall isn’t your average FCS player, either; he played at SMU for two years before transferring to Montana State. There, he was both the punter and kickoff specialist for two years, while also serving as the place-kicker for part of the 2023 season. Hall averaged nearly 46 gross yards per punt last year, pinning 21 of his 44 attempts inside the 20-yard line against just five touchbacks.

LS Gage King, Central Florida​

King has been around college football for a long time, having walked on at Arizona State way back in 2019. He redshirted that season, then spent three more years as the Sun Devils’ backup long snapper before transferring to UCF for 2023. With two years of eligibility remaining due to the 2020 COVID year, King spent two years with the Knights and handled all of their snapping duties, with solid success. Matt Orzech is on the Packers’ roster, but King could be a candidate to help out in the future if the team wants a second player in training camp or if Orzech were to suffer some kind of injury.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...breakdown-scouting-reports-11-taylor-elgersma

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Former Packers cornerback is back on the market

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

Robert Rochell was released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday

Following their rookie minicamp, the Kansas City Chiefs made a surprising move in releasing former Green Bay Packers cornerback Robert Rochell. The 130th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Rochell was picked up by the Packers during the 2023 regular season and suited up for 20 games for the team over the last two years. Known best as a special-teams ace, rather than as a defender, Rochell played 233 special-teams snaps for Green Bay compared to just one defensive rep.

The Chiefs added just one cornerback via the 2025 NFL Draft, Cal’s Nohl Williams, and signed three others, USC’s Jacobe Covington, Florida State’s Kevin Knowles and Southern Arkansas’ Melvin Smith Jr., via undrafted free agency.

Don’t be shocked if Rochell is back on the Packers’ radar now that he’s being made available again. Green Bay released receiver/returner Tutu Griffin on Monday, which cleared a single roster spot on the team’s 91-man offseason roster. Depending on whether or not Jaire Alexander returns to the Packers’ roster, the team only has three or four cornerbacks who have experience making a 53-man roster going into the 2025 season. There’s room for Rochell to come back to the team in his special-teams-focused role.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...chell-released-kansas-city-chiefs-2025-update

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Wednesday Cheese Curds: Packers’ revamped wide receiver group gears up for summer competition

Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

The Packers’ young wide receiver room added some interesting competition in the draft.

I think we all know the broad strokes of why the Packers’ wide receiver room was remodeled this offseason. There is short- and long-term uncertainty at wide receiver, and the group needed a boost. That’s all great and easily understood.

But what’s less clear right now is how all of this shakes out. Yes, the Packers have added two noteworthy receivers this spring, but where will they land on the depth chart? How will they be used on the field? And how will both of those things affect the receivers who were already on the roster?

And on top of all of that, there are big questions about when Christian Watson will return to the field, what he’ll be able to contribute, and how he’ll be used when he’s finally back in the lineup.

The good news is that all of these are questions signalling a healthy position group. If we were sitting here wondering how the Packers will field four decent receivers this year, that would be a much different conversation. But I think by and large, most people agree that the Packers have quality pass catchers. It’s just a matter of figuring out how they all fit together.

Big Additions Mean Big Questions at Receiver for Packers | Sports Illustrated​

There’s a new pecking order in the Packers’ wide receiver room.

Why Savion Williams is such a terrific fit with Matt LaFleur and Packers | Packers Wire​

I know Williams is mostly just a big gadget guy, but he’s a lot of fun.

Packers post-draft takeaways on Matthew Golden, run-stopping rookies, Tucker Kraft | Packers News ($)​

Tucker Kraft’s star continues to rise.

‘It only takes one’ for cornerback Micah Robinson | Packers.com​

Micah Robinson may be lightly regarded and buried on the depth chart, but he’s got the right attitude.

Key intel on all 32 teams after the 2025 NFL draft: Buzz, fits | ESPN​

Jeremy Fowler believes a resolution involving Jaire Alexander returning to the Packers will come “soon.”

Police find pet raccoon holding meth pipe during traffic stop: ‘He’s trying to smoke it’ | 13 ABC Toledo​

Not to species profile, but if there were an animal that I’d suspect of smoking meth, it’d be a raccoon.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...eceiver-group-gears-up-for-summer-competition

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Packers have several chances to play on Thanksgiving in 2025

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

With road games in both Detroit and Dallas on the docket, Green Bay could end up in any of the three Thanksgiving time slots.

The Green Bay Packers are no strangers to playing on Thanksgiving Day. As an NFC team and a longtime divisional rival of the Detroit Lions, they tend to have more opportunities than most other teams across the NFL to end up on the schedule for the uniquely American holiday.

Indeed, the Packers have played on Thanksgiving Day an impressive 38 times, tied with the Chicago Bears for the most of any team other than the Lions or Dallas Cowboys, which have traditionally been the home teams for games on the holiday. Most of those games have found the Packers traveling to Detroit, of course; they played there on Thanksgiving 13 years straight from 1951 to 1963, then again nearly every other year from 2001 to 2013.

The Packers are coming off back-to-back Thanksgiving games the last two seasons, and getting a third straight would be highly unusual. However, based on the opponents that the Packers will play in 2025, this year’s schedule offers every possible opportunity for them to end up playing on the holiday once again this fall: Green Bay of course has a road game in Detroit on the schedule, but they also will play the Dallas Cowboys on the road this year due to the NFC divisional rotation.

That matchup gives Green Bay a chance to play in Dallas on Thanksgiving for the first time in three decades, with the most recent holiday matchup between the two teams coming way back in 1994. Interestingly, the Packers have only played the Cowboys on Thanksgiving twice in the teams’ storied rivalry, with the other game coming in 1970.

There is of course a third possibility for the Packers to play on Thanksgiving, which exists due to the NFL holding a third Thanksgiving game in the evening starting in 2006. The Packers could theoretically end up in that third game instead, which they have participated in twice. Last season, they welcomed the Miami Dolphins into Lambeau Field for that game, and they also hosted the Chicago Bears in 2015.

However, because Green Bay was the host city for the third game just a few months ago, it is unlikely that the NFL would pick them to play in the evening game once again. It is far more realistic for the NFL to relish another chance for an early Packers-Lions matchup to kick off the day or to get a recent playoff rematch between Green Bay and Dallas.

Notably, the Lions and Cowboys have each played divisional games on Thanksgiving each of the last two years, thanks in part to the NFL adding flexibility for the traditional CBS/FOX network scheduling rules. The Lions played Green Bay in 2023 and Chicago in 2024, while Dallas hosted Washington and the New York Giants, respectively. That further suggests that a Packers-Lions game would remain as the most likely scenario if the Packers end up playing on Thanksgiving for a third straight season.

If they do, let’s just hope that whichever TV network showing the game has a turkey ready for Jordan Love, unlike two years ago in Detroit.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...day-game-possibility-lions-cowboys-road-games

 

[Green Bay Packers]

What’s the most random Packers moment you’ve seen in person?

Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The weirder and wilder the better.

It’s the offseason. OTAs are still a few weeks away, and training camp is even farther. Packers-centric conversations are going to wander.

Ours certainly have. In the APC Slack chat, we recently had a discussion about the most random notable Packers moments we’ve seen in person. We’ve published our moments below. What random Packers stuff have you been lucky enough to see with your own eyes?

Tex Western- My most recent Packers game was last December, when I saw a person who does not exist intercept a pass during Green Bay’s drubbing of the New Orleans Saints. But the actual most interesting thing I have seen at Lambeau Field was in an early-season game in 2002 against the Carolina Panthers. Green Bay won the game 17-14, getting a late go-ahead touchdown pass from Brett Favre to Donald Driver before Shayne Graham shanked a 24-yard field goal that would have sent the game to overtime.

But the most fascinating part of this low-scoring game was the Packers’ first touchdown, which came courtesy of Bubba Franks’ golden left arm. Yes, the Packers tight end lofted a 31-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Driver late in the first half to give the Packers a lead going into the break. There was a huge delay for a replay review, however, with the officials initially throwing a flag on the play and ruling Brett Favre’s toss to Franks in the left flat as a forward pass. But the replays made it clear that Favre’s throw traveled a few yards backwards, and the booth review got the call right.

As far as I can tell, this is the only touchdown pass by a tight end in Packers franchise history and it’s one of a very small number by any non-QB since the turn of the century – Ahman Green and Tony Fisher each had one in 2004, while Tim Masthay had a memorable throw to Tom Crabtree in 2012. (And here’s a fun fact to bring it full circle: Fisher’s touchdown pass went to – guess who – Bubba Franks!)

Jon Meerdink - I haven’t seen anything particularly historic in person, but I’ve seen two cool Donald Driver moments. In 2012, I saw him score what would be the final touchdown of his career in an otherwise nondescript win over the Jaguars. I was also there to see him run through about half of the 49ers’ defense in 2010.

As a uniform enthusiast, I was already tickled to see the Packers wear their blue circle alternates for the first time (which might be historically inaccurate?), but Driver’s catch and run was an incredible portion of icing on an already satisfying cake. Seeing the play unfold in person, it wasn’t immediately clear from where I was sitting that he was going to score. Every broken tackle seemed like its own little moment, and it wasn’t until he shed a defender around the 10-yard line that I realized “holy crap, he’s going to score.”

I also remember the play for the extremely common experience of being told to sit down by a fan from an older generation. I started to get to my feet after Driver broke his second tackle, only to have a little old lady yank on the jersey I was wearing and yell “Sit down until it’s done!” Not wanting to shove off a woman who weighed maybe 90 pounds, including her admittedly fashionable Packers Starter jacket (straight from the early 90s, I’d guess), I obliged, then had to laugh when Driver finally scored and she let go of my shirt, saying “Now you can stand.” Never change, Packers fans.

Sammwich - I was at the Clay Matthews “roughing the passer” game against the Vikings in 2018. As Kirk Cousins was in the process of making a pass, Clay got to him and brought him down. The pass was intercepted by Jaire Alexander which would’ve sealed the win for the Packers, but as we all know, it was called back due to no pillow being laid down while the tackle on the QB was being made. This was also the Mason Crosby/Daniel Carlson missed kickapalooza, which ended in a tie. Bonus! It was also the hottest game on record at Lambeau Field (at the time, at least) and the stadium ran out of water bottles by halftime. The boos around the stadium have never sounded more sickly.

Rcon14 - Being from western Wisconsin, I actually have not been to that many Packer games, so it’s kind of goofy that I got to see a statistical anomaly in the flesh. In 2006, the struggling Packers, then 2-4, played a horrendous Arizona Cardinals team. Ahman Green and Vernand Morency combined to run all over them, becoming just the third Packers running back duo to both break 100 yards in a single game, with Green going for 106 and Morency going for 101 as the Packers comfortably handled them 31-14. One other weird quirk of this game is that this was apparently the first game where still-then-beloved quarterback Brett Favre did a Lambeau Leap.

Paul Noonan - In retrospect, the 2008 season finale against the Detroit Lions was a fun statistical day at the office because the Packers pulled off the rare feat of having two 100-yard rushers in the same game. Ryan Grant had a fairly conventional 106 yards on 19 carries, while journeyman DeShawn Wynn joined Grant, matching his 106 yards exactly, thanks in large part to a 73-yard touchdown on the Packers’ second offensive series. It was Wynn’s only 100-yard effort of his four-year career, in which he ran for a cumulative 332 yards.

But the matching 106-yard games are not why this one was memorable to me. When you’re actually in Lambeau, it can be tricky to track individual yardage totals, and so while it’s neat, it was less neat in the moment. What was very neat in the moment was Mason Crosby’s 69-yard fair catch kick attempt to end the first half. In 1976, Ray Wersching of the San Diego Chargers made a 45-yard fair catch kick. Wersching’s kick was the last successful fair catch kick until 2024 when Cameron Dicker, also of the Chargers, though now in Los Angeles, finally knocked one through from 57. In the interim, the league went 0-9, but Crosby’s may have been the best attempt of that 0-9 streak.

Had this game been played earlier in the season or indoors, Crosby likely would have had the extra three yards that he needed and made some history, but instead the dead-center kick fell just barely short. I love the bizarre nature of the fair catch kick and always get unreasonably excited when a team has to punt from deep within its own territory at the end of a half, and I definitely annoyed everyone around me predicting, and then explaining what was about to happen. Fair catch kicks rule, and I’m glad I got to see one. I suspect I am the most happy person in history at having seen a missed fair catch kick.

Dusty Evely - I was a Packers fan from birth, but never had a chance to see them play live. In 2005, I was working in a bookstore in Kentucky, wearing a Packers button as part of my flair (as one does), and a customer came up to me. He was a Bengals season ticket holder and couldn’t make the game on 10/30/2005, so he offered me two tickets. I said yes immediately and called my youngest brother. Together we drove a couple hours up to Cincinnati to watch the 1-5 Packers take on the 5-2 Bengals. We sat in end zone seats among loud, sweaty Bengals fans, an inordinate number of whom were bald with goatees. Despite throwing 5 INTs, the Packers were down 21-14 on the Bengals 28 28-yard line with 28 seconds remaining. Brett Favre dropped back to pass, and the ball was taken out of his hands. Not by a pass rusher, but by a random fan. (You don’t see it on the video, but that fan was absolutely laid out by security. Perfect form tackle. His hat went flying off his head.)

Not a particularly pretty game, but it was certainly a memorable one.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...st-random-packers-moment-youve-seen-in-person

 

[Green Bay Packers]

Heading into his third season, Lukas Van Ness is under the microscope

Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The former first round pick needs to show real progress or risk being replaced.

The Lukas Van Ness development strategy playbook seemed clear from the moment he was drafted. A promising, athletic rookie, Van Ness would earn playing time slowly, working his way up from behind the edge rushers already ahead of him.

It’s a common-sense approach, and one we’ve seen play out in Green Bay before. Rashan Gary, now the Packers’ top-dog pass rusher, had to wait his turn behind Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, and even Kyler Fackrell before he got a chance to spread his wings. As of 2023, he’d play the role of one of the established veterans ahead of Van Ness, along with Preston Smith, funnily enough. J.J. Enagbare, then heading into his second season, seemed primed to play the Fackrell role — a lightly regarded pass rusher who would only nominally be ahead of the promising first-round pick on the depth chart.

The 2023 season played out according to plan. Van Ness was fourth among edge rushers in snaps as a rookie, putting up modest but not spectacular pressure and sack numbers. The stage seemed set for him to leapfrog Enagbare and surpass Preston Smith as the Packers’ second edge rusher in his second season.

Everything seemed to be aligning for Van Ness’s ascension midway through the 2024 season. The Packers traded Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers at the deadline, seemingly clearing the decks for Van Ness to take what appeared to be his rightful place.

Except it didn’t work out that way. Whatever snaps were freed up by Smith’s departure weren’t handed to Van Ness. Instead, Brenton Cox and Arron Mosby got more opportunities and largely delivered. Both Cox and Mosby put interesting reps on tape last year as pass rushers, though their size made them liabilities in the run game.

Now Van Ness heads into his third season with an edge rusher battle on the horizon. Few players on the Packers this year will be as closely monitored as Van Ness, who has this final season to make his case before the Packers make their decision on picking up his fifth-year option.

And as he does so, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the Packers are trying to replace him.

No doubt the Packers want Van Ness to succeed, and I still think he can be a useful player. There’s a role available for a burly edge who’s stout against the run and capable of setting the table for other pass rushers. Plenty of defensive ends have made fine careers out of doing just that, and maybe that’s what the Packers have in mind for Van Ness, who’s certainly strong and fairly competent in run defense.

But that would be a bitter pill to swallow when you’re talking about the 13th overall pick, and if the Packers weren’t concerned about Van Ness’s lack of pass production, they probably wouldn’t have drafted two pass rush-oriented edges in this spring’s draft.

Both Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver seem ready-made to fill in the gaps in Van Ness’s game. Sorrell is much more experienced (and productive, for that matter) as a pass rusher than Van Ness was as a rookie, while Oliver seems purpose-built to perform the “bendy if undersized” designated pass rusher role Jeff Hafley’s defense has seemed to be missing. If Van Ness can’t up his game as a pass rusher, the Packers certainly have options to eat into his snap count.

That’s not to say he can’t improve. He’s still a dynamite athlete, one of the very best at his position. He’s still just 23 years old (he turns 24 in July). As raw as he was as a pass rusher coming out of Iowa, it’s certainly possible there’s development still to come, especially now that the Packers have replaced defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich with the well-regarded DeMarcus Covington. Maybe Covington will be able to unlock something in Van Ness that’s been dormant to this point.

In any case, he’s going to be closely watched this season. He has a lot on the line — so do the Packers. And his replacements might already be waiting in the wings.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...season-lukas-van-ness-is-under-the-microscope