Growing up in Barrington, Illinois, Lukas Van Ness was checking kids into the boards before he learned how to chase down quarterbacks. The Green Bay Packers 2023 first round draft choice was on skates at the age of three and played hockey through high school, helping his squad reach the Illinois State final four. While hockey was fun, football was his passion and he was named his conference defensive player of the year after his senior season. He was also a scholar athlete, a member of the National Honor Society at Barrington High and he accepted a scholarship offer to play, not for his home state Illini, but with the Iowa Hawkeyes under veteran Head Coach Kirk Ferentz. The timing was just a bit off however as he enrolled in the height of the COVID-10 pandemic in the fall of 2020. With the Big Ten season cancelled, the tall, long armed prospect decided to hit the nutrition table and the weight room. We’ve all heard of the “Freshman 15” in college but Lukas packed on a whopping 60 pounds during his redshirt season in Iowa City and by the time he hit the field as a college football player, he stood 6-5 and weighed nearly 280 pounds. The footwork skills he learned growing up on the ice rink and the natural athletic ability he displayed on the gridiron, transformed Lukas from a scrawny red-shirt to an NFL first round draft choice.
His Hawkeyes won plenty and Van Ness made an immediate impact, earning a spot on the Freshman All American team by the Football Writers Association of America. After battling through his freshman season on the interior of the defensive line, Ferentz and his staff moved Lukas to defensive end to play both with his hand on the ground and standing up as the edge rusher and the pressure he applied became even stronger. He finished his two year career with 13 and a half sacks, 20 tackles for loss and 46 quarterback pressures. He also kept up with his studies, earning Academic All Big Ten honors both years, majoring in business. His relentless style of play and Iowa City transformed physique earned him the Hawkeye nickname of Hercules.
Van Ness is also familiar with what will be his new state of residence. His parents raised him in the Chicago suburb but they also own a vacation home in Fontana, on the shore of Lake Geneva which is where he was with friends and family Thursday night when the Green Bay Packers called to let him know he was the 13th overall choice in the 2023 draft. “I’m at a loss for words” he told reporters on a conference call from the cottage, “I couldn’t have asked for a better result, I’m just so happy to be a Packer and I can’t wait to get out there and wear that green.”
Van Ness said he got to work out with Kenny Clark during his pre-draft training in Thousand Oaks, California and even got to meet Aaron Rodgers before he became a member of the New York Jets. The trade of Rodgers to the Jets allowed the Packers to move up two spots in the first round which is where Van Ness was selected. He’s already heard about the culture at Lambeau Field and is now looking forward to becoming a part of it. He brushed off a suggestion from veteran linebacker Preston Smith who said he’d give up his number 91 if the price was right. Van Ness will take any number the equipment staff wants to give him.
From a scrawny freshman to a first round pick in three years without ever starting a single game as a collegian is quite a journey but he credits Coach Ferentz for developing his game while keeping him humble playing behind experienced veterans. Van Ness just outplayed those vets when he was on the field and believes he’s ready for the next level in Green Bay.
He’s not the first Hawkeye lured to Green Bay. Since Ferentz became Head Coach in Iowa City in 1999, the Packers have drafted several of his players, most with very good results. Beginning with Aaron Kampman in 2002 in the 5th round, Abdul Hodge was a third round pick in 2006, Bryan Bulaga was a mainstay on the offensive line as a first rounder in 2010, Mike Daniels came in the 4th round in 2012, Micah Hyde was a 5th round pick in’13 and Josh Jackson was the second round choice in 2018.
