Lukas Van Ness named x-factor for Green Bay Packers 2026 season
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 8, 2026, 10:55 PM
Last updated Sep 8, 2026
ESPN analyst Ben Solak identified linebacker Lukas Van Ness as the primary x-factor for the Green Bay Packers entering the 2026 NFL season. The Packers selected Van Ness with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but the linebacker has started only two games over his first five seasons. Team management expects the defender to provide a three-down presence as an edge penetrator to complement Micah Parsons. The front office believes opposing offenses will focus double-teams on Parsons, creating an opening for other players to impact the backfield. Van Ness serves as the primary candidate to punish teams for that defensive focus according to Solak. The Packers aim to improve upon a second-place finish in the NFC North from last season.
- •Lukas Van Ness was the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
- •The linebacker has started two games over five seasons.
- •Ben Solak identified the player as a key disruptor for the 2026 defense.
- •Green Bay finished second in the NFC North during the previous season.
- 10:55 PMYahoo Sports — Former first-round pick named X-Factor for Packers heading into 2026 NFL season
"After finishing second in the NFC North last season, the Green Bay Packers will be looking to climb back to the top of the division in 2026. ESPN’s Ben Solak recently named the biggest X-Factor for every team in the league heading into the ’26 season, and linebacker Lukas Van Ness was the pick for the Packers. Green Bay selected Van Ness in the first round (13th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he started in just two games for the team over his first five seasons in the league.
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