Packer Central

100 Days of Mocks: Packers Add to Pass Rush in Football Outsiders’ Mock

How important is a potent pass rush? Just look at the teams that played in the Super Bowl.

Bill Huber

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Rashan Gary’s torn ACL exposed the lack of big-time playmakers on the Green Bay Packers’ defensive front as well as the lack of depth at outside linebacker.

With that in mind, Benjamin Robinson went with Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness in a new mock draft for Football Outsiders.

“The Packers have historically tended to stray away from offensive skill positions in the first round of the draft, and I don't expect that to change,” he wrote. “Upgrading a defense that played below expectations with some pass-rush punch is in order, and Iowa's Lukas Van Ness has both power and speed in his arsenal. He would team nicely with burgeoning star Rashan Gary and established veteran Preston Smith.”

Adding at outside linebacker is a necessity. There’s no guarantee Gary – his relentless work ethic notwithstanding – is going to be ready for Week 1. And who knows when vintage Gary – he had six sacks in eight games before the injury – will return to the field.

Preston Smith had a strong series of games during the second half of the season but just one quarterback hit in the final two games. Rookie Kingsley Enagbare showed some promise but had only one sack after Gary went down.

In two seasons at Iowa, Van Ness recorded 13 sacks and 19 tackles for losses. He was second-team all-Big Ten as a redshirt sophomore this past season despite not being a starter. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, he fits the Packers’ big-guy mold at the position.

“This is an incredibly deep edge rusher class with so many different styles and body shapes,” wrote PFF’s Marcus Mosher in a list of underrated draft prospects. “Nonetheless, one of our favorites is Van Ness, who is among the best power rushers in the class, as he posted an 18.8% pass-rush win rate this season. He's faced some pretty good competition over the last few years, including Northwestern's Peter Skorkonski and Ohio State's Paris Johnson.”

Van Ness’ nickname? Hercules.

“He definitely has a physique,” defensive line coach Kelvin Bell told The Athletic. “Hats off to his mom and dad. That kid hit the genetic lottery.”

The Kansas City Chiefs, who won the Super Bowl, finished fifth in the NFL in sack percentage. The Philadelphia Eagles, who reached the Super Bowl, finished first. The Packers finished 17th. A better pass rush would play into the hands of a ballhawking secondary that finished second in interception percentage.

More Green Bay Packers Offseason News

You know who had an excellent year despite 8-9 record?

Big decisions looming beyond Rodgers’ future

Scout talks about play of 39-year-old Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay will “always be home” for Rodgers

NFC North offseason game plans

100 Days of Mocks

Starting Jan. 17, when there were 100 days until the start of the NFL Draft, we started our mock-worthy goal of 100 mock drafts in 100 days. Here’s the 100-day-countdown series.

71 days: 33rd Team trades Rodgers in two-rounder

71 days (bonus): Todd McShay 2.0

72 days: Packers take receiver to start NFL.com three-rounder

73 days: Packers fill big need with big man

74 days: Rodgers traded, take two pass-catchers in first round

75 days: Two NFL.com mocks, two different tight ends

76 days: Tight end and pass rusher in two-rounder by NFL Draft Bible

77 days: Rodgers traded to Raiders for No. 7 pick

78 days: A seven-round mock includes Big Ten playmakers

79 days: Rodgers traded in two-round mock

80 days: Packers take safety in ESPN mock

81 days: Aaron Rodgers traded in three-round mock

82 days: Seven mocks, including NFL.com

83 days: Two pass-catchers in first-round mocks

84 days: Aaron Rodgers traded for extra first-round pick

85 days: PFF picks a pass rusher

86 days: Tight end in NFL Draft Bible Mock

87 days: Packers trade back, get extra second-rounder

88 days: Sorry, vacation day.

89 days: A “Eureka!” moment in two-round mock

90 days: Playmaking cornerback at PFF

91 days: Three defensive backs in seven-round mock

92 days: Kiper takes a tight end

93 days: Safety first for Bucky Brooks in NFL.com mock

94 days: College Football News mocks Mayer

95 days: Two firsts if Rodgers is traded

96 days: NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah goes back to Georgia

97 days: This pick would break a long drought

98 days: Stud tight end

99 days: Trading for outside linebacker

100 days: First-round quarterback?

Published
Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

Home/News