There are two recent first round picks by the Green Bay Packers who have yet to establish themselves as starters for the team. But is this the year that Lukas Van Ness and Jordan Morgan break through and start for the Pack? Will Brian Gutekunst’s faith in these developmental players pay off in 2025?
Van Ness was the team’s selection in 2022. The Packers loved his elite athletic traits but knew he was a raw talent. The former Iowa star never started a game during his college career although that was largely due to the Hawkeyes favoring seniors to start while Van Ness left school after his junior season.
In two seasons with the Packers, Van Ness has produced a total of seven sacks with four coming in his rookie campaign. Van Ness has established himself as part of the Packers edge rush rotation, but he has yet to start a game for the team. In 2023, he played 33 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. That number rose to 39 percent in 2024.
Many people expected Van Ness to take over as a starter after the Packers traded Preston Smith at the trade deadline. But that job went to Kingsley Enagbare. Van Ness improved his play against the run last season but still needs to work on his pass rush technique instead of just relying on his raw athletic ability to beat blockers.
Gutekunst remains hopeful that Van Ness will take a leap forward in his third season in the NFL. “He does everything he can. He is everything you want in a professional as far as his work ethic and what he puts into it, and I expect him to take a big jump this year,” Gutekunst said earlier this offseason when asked about Van Ness.
The Packers didn’t address edge rusher until day three of this year’s draft when they added Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver in rounds four and five.
Morgan finds himself in a different situation. He missed most of his rookie season due to injuries, playing in only six games and starting just one. While the former Arizona star played left tackle in college, his arm length led many scouts to believe he would be best suited to playing guard in the NFL.
The Packers had him taking reps at both tackle and guard at OTAs and minicamp but moved him to right guard once training camp got under way. The thinking was that was where Morgan was most likely to contribute right away. He ended up losing the battle at right guard to Sean Rhyan, although Morgan rotated in several series per game much like Rhyan did when he was behind Jon Runyan, Jr. the previous season.
Morgan’s only start came when center Josh Myers missed a game due to injury and left guard Elgton Jenkins had to move to center.
Now again, head coach Matt LaFleur said Morgan will compete with Walker for the left tackle position. He will also see reps at right guard, competing with Ryan for that starting job. The Packers value versatility in their offensive linemen so Morgan’s ability to play both positions is viewed as a positive by the coaching staff.
“We’re going to have a lot of competition there,” Gutekunst told reporters in March when asked about left tackle. “It will be good to see that competition and we’ll be better for it.”
Both Walker and Rhyan are in the final year of their entry-level contracts, so even if Morgan doesn’t unseat either of them this year, he could replace one of them as the starter in 2026 if the Packers don’t re-sign them.
The Packers will be looking for improvement from both these former first-round picks. It’s time for them to stop being players with potential and to start being productive players who contribute regularly to the lineup.
