Van Ness Selected by Green Bay in First Round of NFL Draft

KANSAS CITY — University of Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft. Van Ness was the 13th player picked overall. He is the 16th defensive lineman selected in the Kirk Ferentz era.

The selection of Van Ness gives the Iowa football program a first round selection in four of the last five drafts.

Van Ness (6-foot-5, 269-pounds) is a native of Barrington, Illinois. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from both league coaches and media in 2022 while playing both end and tackle. He was named Big Ten special teams Player of the Week for his play against Iowa State, where he recorded two blocked punts. His season totals included 38 tackles and a team-leading 11 tackles for loss. He shared the team lead with 6.5 sacks.

Van Ness earned Freshman All-America recognition from the Football Writers Association of America and the Maxwell Football Club in 2021. He earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in both 2021 and 2022.

Green Bay posted an 8-9 record in 2022, being outscored by a single point. Green Bay most recently drafted an Iowa player in 2018 when it selected defensive back Joshua Jackson in the second round.

Iowa has had at least one player drafted in every NFL Draft since 1978, including 12 first round selections. Van Ness is the 82nd player coached by Kirk Ferentz at the University of Iowa to be selected in the NFL Draft.

To see the University of Iowa’s NFL Draft Central Page, visit Iowa’s Draft Central.