If general manager Brian Gutekunst and company made the Packers’ trade for Micah Parsons to supplant and upgrade over former first-round draft choice Lukas Van Ness, someone forgot to tell the All-Pro who logged his first sack in a Green Bay uniform in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions.
Van Ness has never quite lived up to his billing as the No. 13 overall pick, out of Iowa, in the 2023 NFL Draft with just 7.5 sacks through his first two-plus seasons.
Packers’ Micah Parsons Bullish on Lukas Van Ness
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) looks to pass against Green Bay Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness (90) during the first half at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, September 7, 2025.
However, Parsons’ presence seems to have already made an impact, as the 6-foot-5 and 272-pound Van Ness logged half a sack against the Lions. The former Iowa standout has a big fan and believer in his newest teammate.
“You could be a Cameron Wake. You could be like a Julius Peppers,” Parsons recently told Van Ness, according to Wes Hodkiewicz of the team’s official website.
Van Ness may be one of the bigger beneficiaries of the double-teams and attention that offensive coordinators and offensive lines must pay Parsons.
“All the attention going Micah’s way makes everyone else’s job on that defense so much easier,” Packers legend John Kuhn told me after the game. “The best offense in the NFL last year was 0-3 in the red zone and only managed 13 points. That says it all.”
Those are lofty comparisons, but if Parsons makes the kind of impact along the front seven that Green Bay believes he can, and it frees up Van Ness to take his game to the next level, Green Bay’s blockbuster trade is going to prove even more valuable in the years ahead.
Green Bay Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness (90) celebrates after sacking Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won the game, 27-13.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
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