Healthy, Healed Van Ness Hoping For Breakout Season With Packers
Green Bay Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness (90) celebrates after sacking Tennessee's Will Levis ... More last season.
Lukas Van Ness isn't into excuses. Only realities.
And the cold hard truth is Van Ness — the Green Bay Packers' first round draft pick in 2023 — was severely hampered by the broken right thumb he played with last season.
Many expected Van Ness to take a major jump in 2024. Instead, the defensive end had three sacks, six quarterback hits and six tackles for loss in Year 2 after posting four sacks, 10 quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss as a rookie.
That mediocre production has led many to speculate that Van Ness is on the 'Hot Seat' in 2025. Time will tell there.
What the 23-year-old Van Ness knows is that he's healthy today. He didn't need offseason surgery. Just rest and physical therapy.
And now that Van Ness is fully recovered, he's giddy about what awaits.
'Physically I feel fantastic,' Van Ness said Wednesday during the Packers' annual Tailgate Tour across Wisconsin. 'I was dealing with the thumb a lot last year, so I was able to get that back in the offseason and I'm feeling great. I can't wait for this season.'
To protect his broken thumb last year, Van Ness lined up almost exclusively on the right side. That meant Van Ness worked against strictly left tackles, who are typically the best pass blockers on the offensive line.
This season, Van Ness should be able to flip-flop spots with fellow defensive end Rashan Gary throughout a game and could draw more favorable matchups.
'I was really limited last year,' said Van Ness, the 13th overall pick in 2023. 'I could only play on the right side for the most part, due to this broken thumb. Now I can flip back and play on both sides of the defensive line, which I'm really excited about.'
There remains a lot to be excited about when it comes to Van Ness, a physical marvel nicknamed 'Hercules.'
Van Ness ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds coming out of Iowa at the 2023 NFL Combine. He had the largest hands (11 inches) in the defensive line group that year. His arms are an impressive 34 inches long. And he won't turn 24 until later this summer.
Things have been challenging in Green Bay, though.
Van Ness was a standup outside linebacker as a rookie in 2023, after playing with his hand on the ground at Iowa. The Packers switched from a 3-4 front to a 4-3 base last year, though, meaning Van Ness went back to playing as a traditional defensive end.
Then, the thumb injury added a new set of challenges.
There's no doubt, though, that the Packers needed more from Van Ness in 2024, meaning 2025 becomes a critical year in his development.
'It's important for all our guys, including Lukas,' Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at this year's NFL Combine. 'Again, we talked a little bit about we need to affect the quarterback more in our front four, with just four players, and Lukas is a big part of that. He does everything he can. He's 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.'
Green Bay holds the 23rd pick in the first round of this year's draft. And the Packers could certainly take another defensive lineman, a position where they lack depth.
No matter what happens, Van Ness believes he's ready for bigger and better things.
As seven current and former Packer players spoke to a group college students at Waukesha County Technical College as part of their annual tour Wednesday, team president Mark Murphy talked about the toughness Van Ness has displayed and called him a 'great player.'
Van Ness is excited to try proving Murphy right this upcoming season. And if that happens, Green Bay's defense — which ranked sixth overall and sixth in points allowed last season — could take another step forward.
'My expectations are always going to be higher for myself than anybody else and I've naturally always been that way,' Van Ness said. 'I'm hard on myself, but that ultimately is what pushes me and drives me to be a great player. So, my mindset isn't going to change. I've still got to come to work, compete for my job, compete for a starting spot and I'm excited to do that this upcoming year.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
2025 Commanders game-by-game predictions: Next stop Super Bowl?
What will Jayden Daniels do for an encore after winning the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2024? After leading the Washington Commanders to the 2024 NFC title game, can the star quarterback take the team one step further in 2025? The last time Washington appeared in a Super Bowl was 1992. The Commanders face a daunting 2025 schedule — the eighth-toughest in the league based on opponents' winning percentage last year — that includes five prime-time games, a trip to Madrid and a Christmas Day tussle with the Cowboys. Washington's road slate includes the Packers, Chargers, Chiefs and Vikings — all playoff teams last season. And in the final three weeks of the regular season, the Commanders play four straight games against NFC East rivals, including the Super Bowl-champion Eagles twice. Bottom line: Daniels & Co. have an uphill climb to duplicate the success of last year. Let's break down their season week by week. Week 1: vs. Giants, Sunday, Sept. 7 Head coach Dan Quinn gets his first look at a New York offense led by Russell Wilson, with whom he teamed up to win a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. Daniels will have to contend with talented edge rusher Abdul Carter, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. But the Commanders swept the season series with their NFC East rivals last year and have won four of the past six games. They'll continue to have the Giants' number here. Result: Win, 1-0 record Week 2: at Packers, Thursday, Sept. 11 Washington's first prime-time game of the season is in Green Bay, where the Commanders have a 5-13-1 all-time record. The last time Washington won in Green Bay was 1986. Packers QB Jordan Love has a new weapon in the passing game with speedy first-round receiver Matthew Golden. The Commanders do get the benefit of playing in Green Bay in late summer, avoiding cold weather, but they still take a loss. Result: Loss, 1-1 Week 3: vs. Raiders, Sunday, Sept. 21 Quinn faces his mentor in Pete Carroll as the Commanders host the Silver and Black. While Carroll-led teams have traditionally been competitive in cross-country games, the Raiders finished 2-7 on the road in 2024 and will still be finding their way at this point of the season. Result: Win, 2-1 Week 4: at Falcons, Sunday, Sept. 28 Daniels and fellow 2024 draftee Michael Penix Jr. meet for the second time in their short careers. Daniels won the first matchup, rushing for a season-high 127 yards in a hotly-contested 30-24 victory in Week 18. Former Falcons coach Quinn returns to Atlanta for the first time as a head coach, facing his former colleague Raheem Morris. Result: Win, 3-1 Week 5: at Chargers, Sunday, Oct. 5 Daniels and Justin Herbert face off at SoFi Stadium in a scintillating matchup between two of the top quarterbacks in the league. The Bolts also have one of the top defenses from the 2024 season, led by up-and-coming coordinator Jesse Minter. Washington's run defense will be tested by L.A.'s one-two punch in the backfield of first-round pick Omarion Hampton and free-agent signee Najee Harris. Result: Loss, 3-2 Week 6: vs. Bears, Monday, Oct. 13 Last season, the Commanders beat the Bears on a last-second Hail Mary, so Chicago will surely be looking for some payback. Plus, Caleb Williams, who was drafted ahead of Daniels, will want to show his progress under new head coach Ben Johnson, one of the league's best offensive minds. Note that Johnson spurned the Commanders during the 2024 hiring cycle, which ultimately led to the hiring of Quinn, who will beat the Bears again. Result: Win, 4-2 RELATED: Bears-Commanders among top 10 revenge games for 2025 Week 7: at Cowboys, Sunday, Oct. 19 The Cowboys have won six of the past eight games in this classic rivalry, including the last four games in Dallas. New Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer will experience some growing pains in his first season, but having a healthy Dak Prescott back leading the offense should alleviate some of those issues. In Prescott's first matchup against Daniels, the veteran will come out on top. Result: Loss, 4-3 Week 8: at Chiefs, Monday, Oct. 27 After facing Prescott, Daniels takes on Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes for the first time in his NFL career. He'll also face the daunting task of going against longtime Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, whose scheme has been tough to decipher for young quarterbacks. Result: Loss, 4-4 Week 9: vs. Seahawks, Sunday, Nov. 2 Legion of Boom founding member Bobby Wagner faces his former team for the first time as a Commander. And receiver Deebo Samuel is probably licking his chops in anticipation of seeing his former NFC West rival. Samuel totaled 766 receiving yards and four touchdowns in eight games against Seattle while playing for the San Francisco 49ers. Result: Win, 5-4 Week 10: vs. Lions, Sunday, Nov. 9 Washington faces one of last season's most explosive offenses in the Lions. However, how different will Detroit's offense be with John Morton replacing Ben Johnson as OC? The Lions also lost defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who left to become head coach of the Jets, so Dan Campbell will have his hands full resetting the culture on both sides of the football. Result: Win, 6-4 Week 11: vs. Dolphins, Sunday, Nov. 16 In the franchise's first international game since 2016, facing Miami in Madrid, the Commanders take on another explosive offense. Top of mind for Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt will be slowing down Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who loves to create explosive plays down the field for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Result: Win, 7-4 Week 12: Bye Week 13: vs. Broncos, Sunday, Nov. 30 Daniels takes on another quarterback from the 2024 draft class in Bo Nix, who surprisingly helped lead Denver to the playoffs in his first season. The Broncos also bring one of the top defenses to Northwest Stadium, led by last year's Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Result: Win, 8-4 Week 14: at Vikings, Sunday, Dec. 7 With J.J. McCarthy set to lead the Minnesota offense, Daniels will face the fourth different quarterback from his 2024 draft class. This is an important game for the Commanders, as it could affect playoff seeding in the NFC conference. The Vikings have won five of the past six games against Washington, and Minnesota will extend its dominance. Result: Loss, 8-5 Week 15: at Giants, Sunday, Dec. 14 New York's vaunted pass rush — led by Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux — finished with five total sacks and 19 pressures in two games against Washington last year. The Commanders worked this offseason to provide better pass protection for Daniels with the addition of Laremy Tunsil via trade and the selection of Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round of the draft. Games like this one against the Giants will test if those were good moves for the Commanders. Result: Loss, 8-6 Week 16: vs. Eagles, Saturday, Dec. 20 Saquon Barkley averaged 138 rushing yards a contest and scored seven touchdowns in three games against the Commanders last season. But Washington needs this win at home. Result: Win, 9-6 Week 17: vs. Cowboys, Thursday, Dec. 25 The Commanders play their first-ever game on Christmas, hosting a marquee matchup against America's Team. How Washington matches up defensively with star receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens will go a long way in determining who gets the last present under the tree. Result: Win, 10-6 Week 18: at Eagles, Flex Game These final three games will likely determine if the Eagles can become the first team to repeat as NFC East champs since Philly won the division in four consecutive seasons from 2001 to 2004. They could also determine which of the Eagles, Commanders and Cowboys will move on to the postseason. A lot of Washington's offseason moves were made with defeating the Eagles in mind. We'll find out if they were the right decisions at the end of the season. Result: Loss Final Record prediction: 10-7 Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him at @eric_d_williams . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
Carson Hocevar is NASCAR's disruptive new driver — and one of its biggest fans
LEBANON, Tenn. — The tall guy in the red Dale Earnhardt Jr. T-shirt blends in with other NASCAR fans mingling near pit road at Nashville Superspeedway, soaking in the atmosphere before a Truck Series race on a summer Friday night. Energy drink in hand, he looks out at the grandstands and soon-to-be noisy racetrack and smiles. Advertisement 'I've always dreamt of being able to watch every race,' he says. 'Now I'm here.' He senses someone in his peripheral vision and turns to see another NASCAR fan, just like him, seemingly waiting for a word. 'Sorry, how are you?' the tall guy says. 'You could have interrupted!' 'Can I get a picture, Carson?' the fan says. Meet Carson Hocevar, the disruptive 22-year-old who isn't just one of NASCAR's fastest-rising young stars — but also one of its biggest fans. On this night, 48 hours before Hocevar finishes second in the NASCAR Cup Series race at the same track, the Spire Motorsports driver is following his normal routine: Making the trek across the infield grass to ascend into the grandstands to watch the lower-tier Truck and Xfinity races with the fans. Though NASCAR is more accessible for its diehards than other big-league sports, there's a barrier between the stands and the garage area — both physically and figuratively. Hocevar regularly breaks the fourth wall, so to speak, by choosing to watch races from a familiar viewpoint that reminds him of growing up. He's as comfortable sitting among the race fans as he is in the Cup Series garage — if not more so, given how many drivers and teams he's irked with his aggressive racing style. We'll get to that in a bit, but for now, there's no sign of any animosity toward Hocevar as he trudges across Nashville's thick infield grass and climbs the stairs into the grandstands. People already in their seats for the Truck race begin to notice and call out — something he said has become increasingly common of late. 'Hocevarrrrrr!' one older, long-haired man yells, raising his arms in a triumphant welcome. Some fans leap from their seats and rush toward the aisle to offer a fist bump or handshake. A few ask for selfies. Others just clap and cheer at the site of a recognizable Cup driver among them. Advertisement 'How cool is that?' a father says to his two young sons as Hocevar passes by. When Hocevar reaches the concourse, his progress is slowed by people wanting to chat. A jam-up forms as one teen bro-hugs Hocevar like they're old pals and asks for a signature. Another accuses Hocevar of wrecking his car several times on iRacing, an online simulator game; Hocevar asks the fan his name and acts like it rings a bell. After the fan is out of earshot, Hocevar is asked if he really recognized the name or was just being polite. 'Oh yeah,' Hocevar says. 'And I did wreck him.' Hocevar makes his way to Row 29 of Section 131, where a few Nashville-based friends are awaiting him. One of them is Christian Pitman, who used to race with Hocevar while growing up and has remained close through his buddy's burgeoning NASCAR career. 'He hasn't changed at all,' Pitman says. 'I think that's why people like him.' He's not exactly incognito, and so a steady stream of fans comes over to Hocevar's row. At first, it's actually unclear whether these are more of Hocevar's Nashville friends or simply strangers approaching. That's because each time someone arrives in the aisle, Hocevar pops up from his seat like he's been expecting them. 'Watching from the stands?' one fan says after getting his picture with Hocevar. 'Don't blame ya!' But seriously, why would he do this? Why would a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver watch races with fans, even if he is one himself? 'Why not?' he counters, puzzled. 'I love it.' That love doesn't go both ways for Hocevar in the NASCAR world. While he possesses the type of personality many fans claim to want — he alternates between charming, brash, opinionated and startlingly frank — he has also angered many of the drivers he grew up watching (and thus their supporters, too). Advertisement Hocevar's reputation is constantly a trending topic. He has crashed drivers on accident, on purpose and every shade of gray in between — often unapologetically. Among his critics: former Cup champions Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney, Hocevar's own mentor Ross Chastain, and now Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who Hocevar sent crashing in Nashville on Sunday night. While there's a recurring narrative that accompanies fast young drivers who burst onto the NASCAR scene — it's happened to the likes of Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Busch, Chastain and many more — it's also clear Hocevar has lost the benefit of the doubt. 'A lot of people were saying, 'Well, is it just because he's a young, aggressive driver?'' Blaney said in March. 'He's being a young, reckless guy in a lot of situations, and there's a big, big difference.' But in some ways this is all part of the plan for Hocevar, who carefully studied how drivers raced and reacted to various situations while growing up. He's seen an inordinate amount of interviews and knows what resonated with him as a fan — and what he disliked. He's determined to be the kind of driver he would have wanted to root for as a kid. Not that he's very far removed from actually being one. With NASCAR racing at his home track of Michigan International Speedway this weekend, Hocevar briefly returned to his childhood home in Portage — a small city one hour south of Grand Rapids where, until recently, he was more well known for appearing in an oft-played commercial for his dad's business (Scott's Sports Cards, Coins and Jewelry) as a 9-year-old. 'Scott's has a nice selection of Citizen Watches, all priced 50 percent off for the holidays!' a cheerful Hocevar tells the camera as 'Jingle Bells' plays. 'Happy Holidays!' As recently as a few years ago, people would stop him in the grocery store not to chat about his up-and-coming NASCAR career — but to remark how much he'd grown up since seeing him in the ad. People in the Portage community were used to seeing Hocevar ride his bike all over town when he wasn't off racing. Advertisement And when Hocevar returns to his family home, his bedroom has been largely untouched. The shelves still have autographed die-cast cars from the likes of Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch — who has called Hocevar 'a f— d— bag' and vowed to 'wreck his ass' — and a signed Matt Kenseth photo. 'The only thing that's different is I don't have the Dale Jr. comforter on my bed anymore,' he says. He's retained an extensive collection of die-cast cars (it numbers in the hundreds and he'll never get rid of it, he says), which includes the custom-made versions he decorated himself. Hocevar and his friends made stop-motion animation videos with the die-cast cars because 'we were too old to play with them but too young to just let them sit there.' One of those friends, Pitman, sits in the Nashville stands with his longtime buddy and pulls up an old Instagram page from an iRacing team Hocevar created as a kid. Hocevar has since lost the login for the chr_racing page, so it lives on as a time capsule from an 11-year-old's summer hobby ('Instagram used to let you sign up with an unverified email address, and I have no idea what it was,' he says). But it doesn't bother him; Hocevar embraces his NASCAR fandom rather than running from it. In fact, he happily recounts one of his favorite memories as a 9-year-old: Having his name on the winning car in one of NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp's stop-motion races. 'Winner: CarsonH814,' the video announced. 'I was so excited, I went to school the next day and told everyone I won,' Hocevar says. Growing up in the meme-ified world of Gen Z has created a unique bridge from Hocevar to NASCAR's younger audience, a demographic with which the sanctioning body has struggled to connect. Hocevar not only streams his iRacing on Twitch, but he also did so in the middle of this year's Daytona 500 when there was a rain delay (Spire has a sim rig setup in its hauler for Hocevar to use). Advertisement Earlier this spring, he bought a 1997 pickup truck off Facebook Marketplace just because it was decorated like Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s No. 3 GM Goodwrench ride — and now uses it as his daily driver. He has his TV set to autoplay YouTube videos continuously and allows the algorithm to pick old NASCAR content for him. To demonstrate, he pulls out his phone: It's showing the 2009 Pepsi 500 at California Speedway, which has just begun playing after an old postrace show from an October event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But Hocevar's Very Online persona has also lent itself to another unique skill: Translating the digital world into real-life applications. NASCAR teams use high-tech driver-in-the-loop simulators to gather engineering feedback and influence vehicle setups; Hocevar performed so well in that area that it essentially earned him a chance with Spire. 'We popped him in the sim, and our sim game improved like 1,000 percent,' Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson says, standing on pit road before the Nashville race. 'We were like, 'This is probably the direction NASCAR is going.' All he does is watch racing, go to races, go on iRacing, go in the sim. What I liked about him is he's just so fast, and this is all he's thinking about, always.' While Dickerson says he wishes Hocevar would have used a bit better judgment in some of the situations that have resulted in controversy, their daily texts typically don't include any scolding. Dickerson doesn't want to do anything to slow Hocevar down or 'cage him,' he says; after all, Hocevar is on the cusp of winning races for a team that has never had a driver finish in the top 20 of the season point standings. 'I am not going to be like, 'Hey, you'd better mind your P's and Q's,'' Dickerson says. 'My thing is just: If you accidentally get run into, don't act like a jackass. As a team owner, I just want him to show up to meetings on time, participate in competition meetings like the student of the game that he is, and to race his teammates with respect.' Hocevar has repeatedly claimed in interviews that he doesn't study data and drives off instinct, using his creativity to find lines others do not. And while the latter part of that statement may be true, Dickerson says the first part is total bunk and is tired of getting asked about it. 'He's lying to you!' Dickerson says. 'He is always studying! I live it every day. He's constantly sending me things he's looking at. He's just at an age where it's cool to say, 'See? I don't study! I just feel the air! I'm the next reincarnation of Dale Sr., don't you guys get it?' No, jacka—. It's not instinct. He's not God's gift to race car driving. He works at this as much as anybody.' Advertisement To prove his point, Dickerson calls Hocevar over from a conversation with more fans. 'You keep telling people you don't study s— or look at s—!' Dickerson says. 'What? I just say I don't look at SMT data,' Hocevar says with the tone of a scolded teenager, referring to the sport's real-time telemetry data. 'You look at everything, shut up,' Dickerson says. 'I know,' Hocevar replies with a shrug. But even if Hocevar works harder than he's willing to let on, he's still somewhat of a racing savant. Back up in the stands, as the NASCAR Trucks circle around the track, he immediately diagnoses the things drivers should be doing differently and yells his feedback to no one in particular, drowned by the roar of the engines. He wears no headset or ear plugs and rests his worn black Nikes — the only pair of casual shoes he owns — on the bleacher seat in front of him while holding a phone with Cup Series trophy wallpaper ('Motivation, man' he explains.) When drivers from Spire and Niece Motorsports (which gave Hocevar his break in the Truck Series) run afoul of his expectations, Hocevar unlocks the phone and furiously types feedback texts to friends on both teams in hopes of reaching the drivers. 'Message delivered,' one responds. Other times, Hocevar simply leaps from his seat and makes exaggerated gestures at the drivers like any number of other fans in the stands — sometimes exasperated when they don't listen to him, sometimes celebratory when they make a good move. And he has reason to celebrate at the end of the night because Spire teammate Rajah Caruth ends up in victory lane — as does Hocevar, being interviewed on TV in his red Dale Jr. shirt after congratulating Caruth. Two nights later, other fans have taken his place in Row 29 of Section 131 and get to witness the full Hocevar experience: Being lightning quick en route to a second-place finish, but making more on-track enemies in the process. Controversy aside, it's a good night. For a kid who was once thrilled just to watch NASCAR Cup Series races, actually winning one no longer feels like such a distant dream. (Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Sean Gardner,)
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Should Packers extend Romeo Doubs? What the stats say about Jordan Love's trusted target
Should Packers extend Romeo Doubs? What the stats say about Jordan Love's trusted target With three years of NFL experience under his belt, the Green Bay Packers have a firm grasp on what kind of player Romeo Doubs is. His strengths, weaknesses and overall ceiling are fairly well established at this point as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. Based on the stats he has put up, here is what we know about Doubs three years into his NFL career: Strengths The biggest strengths of Doubs' game are his ability to win contested catches and to put the ball in the end zone. These are the types of traits that could be labelled as "clutch," and Doubs has certainly been reliable for his quarterback when a play needs to be made. Among qualified NFL receivers, Doubs ranks in the 64th percentile for contested catch rate, and the 88th percentile since 2023, when Jordan Love took over from Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. He has 16 career touchdowns, including nine in 2023, and ranks in the 71st percentile for touchdowns per target over the last two years. With the type of quarterback Love is in terms of being willing to throw the ball up and give his guy a chance to make a play, Doubs has been a valuable asset in the receiver room as someone Love can trust in the red zone or when they absolutely need a play. This is also evidenced by his excellent drop rate deep downfield, where he ranks in the 98th percentile. Doubs has performed well against zone coverage, particularly in the last two years, ranking in the 69th percentile for yards per reception (Y/REC) and the 72nd percentile for yards per route run (Y/RR) versus zone since 2023. Weaknesses The weakest area of Doubs' play to this point is his ability, or lack thereof, to get yards after the catch and make people miss. He ranks in just the 34th percentile for yards after the catch per reception (YAC/REC) and the 22nd for missed tackles forced per reception (MTF/REC) since entering the league. It is simply not part of his skill set. Like some of Green Bay's other receivers, Doubs has had his battles with drops. He ranks in the 28th percentile for drop rate since 2022. Also similarly to some of his teammates, he has not performed especially well against man coverage. He lands in the 32nd and 21st percentile in Y/REC and Y/REC respectively when facing man coverage since 2022, has never ranked above average in either metric and in 2023, ranked dead last in Y/RR versus man. Doubs has not been much of a deep threat in his NFL career so far either, ranking in the 17th percentile for Y/REC and the 30th for Y/RR 20+ yards downfield. These may seem like short lists of true strengths and weaknesses, and that is a fair reflection of Doubs as a player. He is solid in most aspects of receiver play but does not have many areas he really excels or is a liability. Trending up Doubs has improved his effectiveness year on year in the short part of the field year on year, and it was the best part of his game in terms of receiving depth in 2024. From his rookie season through year three, his Y/REC ranking increased from the 14th percentile to the 41st and then the 64th, while his Y/RR ranking went up from the 12th percentile to the 53rd and then the 70th. He ranked in the 74th percentile in drop rate and the 87th in contested catch rate between 0-10 yards downfield in 2024, leading the team in first downs picked up in that area, another indicator of the trustworthy player he has become. Although his performance against man coverage has been suboptimal, Doubs did improve in 2024 and managed career high ranks of the 45th and 43rd percentile for Y/REC and Y/RR respectively. Doubs has become a stronger run blocker each year. His PFF run block grade ranked in just the 23rd percentile as a rookie, but rose to the 33rd percentile in 2023 and jumped significantly to the 64th percentile last year. Trending down After appearing to put his issues with catching the ball behind him in 2023, ranking in the 53rd percentile, the drops reappeared in 2024, as Doubs ranked in the 26th percentile in drop rate compared to the rest of the league. The Packers have a decision to make on Doubs, who is set to hit free agency at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign. Based on what he has shown so far, the deep, young receiver room he is part of, the lack of reporting around the team wanting to keep him, and the rumors he may have been dangled to Seattle in trade talks for DK Metcalf, it seems unlikely Doubs will get an extension in Green Bay. He is a solid player and has provided real value to the Packers, serving an underrated role, but he does not appear to be the quality of player they will pay, especially given the other contracts they have to handle in 2026. Doubs should have a strong market in free agency a year from now and be paid well, but barring a significant improvement in a host of areas this season, taking him from a slightly above average to difference-making wideout, it will not be Green Bay writing the check.
