There are some major expectations for Green Bay Packers second-year pass rusher Lukas Van Ness. A first-round pick out of Iowa in the 2023 NFL Draft, he started to come on in the second half of his rookie campaign.
Despite reaching 50 percent of snaps played only once over the last eight games of the season, including the playoffs, Lukas Van Ness picked up four sacks. Fans are excited to see what he will bring to the table in Year 2, but his offseason program hit a little bit of a snag.
It was revealed by Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur that Van Ness was dealing with a broken thumb. That kept him sidelined early in the offseason program, but this week, he was back on the field with the team.
Lukas Van Ness missed at least one practice open to the media because of the injury to his thumb. The team will likely exhibit some caution still, as there is zero reason to push him at this point of the calendar.
As shared by Packers Wire, there looks to still be some protective padding on his hand/thumb. But, not having a giant cast is certainly an encouraging sign, as the injury Lukas Van Ness is working through likely isn’t a major one.
“I’m excited about Lukas,” LaFleur said. “A lot of times you see those pass rushers take a huge jump from Year 1 to Year 2. He’s a guy who has put in a ton of work. His body looks great. It’s unfortunate he broke his thumb, but he’s getting more time out there. He’s somebody we’re certainly excited about.”
Along with Lukas Van Ness, the Green Bay Packers also saw veterans Rashan Gary and Preston Smith for the first time this offseason. They were not at the voluntary portion of the offseason workouts but did report for mandatory camp this week.
Those three will combine to provide Jeff Hafley with a strong pass-rushing group to rely on. As a rookie, Lukas Van Ness recorded 4.0 sacks, 10 quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss. Expect a big jump in those numbers in Year 2 of his career.
