2. Lukas Van Ness
Lukas Van Ness has a lot of factors in his favor entering the 2025 offseason. First and foremost, he is a former first-round pick. Teams don't just move on from guys they took in the first round very often.
Second, Van Ness is young. He's not going to turn 24 until July, and this is already his third NFL season.
Third, the Packers knew he wasn't the full sum of his parts when they drafted him, and they changed defensive schemes last year, moving on from Joe Barry and hiring Jeff Hafley.
Again, there's a lot going in the favor of Van Ness for the organization to be patient, but the Packers aren't going to sit on their hands when it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft. If Brian Gutekunst sees another pass rusher he likes early on, he's not going to pass on him.
The Packers are one of the teams to be on the lookout for in the first round of this year's draft to take an edge rusher, which would make the 2025 season a make-or-break campaign for Lukas Van Ness. Even though the former first-rounder out of Iowa has the versatility to play on the defensive line and not just off the edge, the Packers wouldn't hesitate if the right guy was sitting on the board with the 23rd overall pick.
They even have a significant connection to a pass rusher in this year's draft with Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku being a nearly ideal fit in the first round. Ezeiruaku played under Jeff Hafley at Boston College and could seamlessly transition to the Packers' defense in the pros.
The clock is ticking for a player like Van Ness. The Packers might not trade him now, but he might be in danger of playing limited snaps yet again.