Next Step for Packers Cole Van Lanen is to Make Final Roster

The competition along the Green Bay Packers offensive line this summer certainly won’t be lacking, and one of those players competing for a roster spot will be Cole Van Lanen, who is entering his second season.

Van Lanen was a sixth-round pick by the Packers in 2021 and spent just about the entire season on the practice squad–playing only one snap in Week 17 against Minnesota.

Coming out of Wisconsin, Van Lanen was on the field for 1,633 career snaps, according to PFF ($$), and was effective as both a run-blocker and a pass-blocker at left tackle–although the run game, where he can fire off the ball and be the aggressor, is where he is at his best.

Van Lanen possesses decent athleticism — posting a RAS of 8.49 — and he has the ability to play either guard or right tackle. However, he did need to add some muscle, and several draft analysts did question whether he had the athleticism to stick at tackle at the NFL level.

When it comes to the Green Bay Packers offensive line unit, Matt LaFleur has kept nine on the 53-man roster in each of his three seasons as head coach, and on this year’s team, it would appear that many of those roster spots are already accounted for.

In terms of roster locks, I would consider David Bakhtiari, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, Royce Newman, Yosh Nijman, Zach Tom, and Sean Rhyan in that group. That’s already seven players, and it becomes eight whenever Elgton Jenkins is fully healthy and ready to play.

So for Week 1 of the regular season, at most, there are two spots open, but eventually, only one. In addition to Van Lanen, Jake Hanson, a center/guard, and Rasheed Walker, Green Bay’s seventh-round pick who plays tackle, among others, are fighting for those roster spots.

Admittedly, there may not be a ton that we can glean from OTA and minicamp practices, which are taking place in shorts, but it’s not as if the info we learn of his is completely meaningless either.

In the 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills, we have consistently seen Van Lanen taking reps with the first team at both right and left tackle positions as he and Nijman flip back and forth between the two with both Bakhtiari and Jenkins sidelined. At least for the time being, this gives us a glimpse of where Van Lanen stands in comparison to the rest of the offensive line.

With that said, there certainly is the possibility that as training camp unfolds, we see rookies Rhyan and maybe even Tom taking snaps at right tackle ahead of Van Lanen, but we also know that the Packers — at least early on — prefer experience, which Van Lanen has at this time, over each of them.

As long as everyone is healthy, Van Lanen’s ceiling this season is likely going to be as a backup at either guard or right tackle–although it remains to be seen which position the Packers prefer him at, but we do know they covet versatility. With a year on the practice squad to continue developing, we hopefully see an improved version of Van Lanen during this year’s training camp and preseason.

Many rookies end up making a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2 with the experience that they’ve gained along with the added comfortability they have in the system, and it’s going to be important that Van Lanen does the same in 2022 as a former draft pick.