NFC Notes: Lukas Van Ness, J.J. McCarthy, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Lions

During last year’s draft, the Lions moved up a round to grab OT Giovanni Manu as a project player for the long term. With G Kevin Zeitler leaving in free agency, Detroit HC Dan Campbell implied they discussed moving Manu inside but wouldn’t set anything in stone.

“Man, we’ve talked about that,” Campbell said, via Tim Twentyman of the team’s website. “Do you go back to right (with Glasgow), you know? And is it (Christian) Mahogany left? Is it somebody we drafted? You’re gonna do your best to let these guys compete and see where they’re at.”

“I mean, do we try Manu at guard? That’s a thought. So, we’re gonna try to let these guys compete a little bit and move them around and see what’s right and see where we’re at. It’s not going to be set in stone.”

Packers

Packers 2023 first-round DL Lukas Van Ness is heading into an important third season where he hopes to take a jump in production. Van Ness elaborated on his goal to take that next step to be a reliable contributor on gamedays.

“Looking into the season, this is obviously the most important one as it’s the next one ahead,” Van Ness said, via Mike Spofford of the team’s website. “This is my job. I love what I do, I love playing football. My goal every single day is to come to work and put that effort in, and then, ultimately, put the best product on the field on Sundays.”

Regardless of whether Green Bay adds another pass rusher or not, Van Ness is good with the guys they have in the room and will be prepared to work either way. 

“Whether we take two guys (or) we take nobody (in the draft), I think we’re all going to come to work every day, we’re going to compete against each other for our spots, and we’re going to work hard. I love the guys we have in our room.”

Vikings

Following a 14-3 season led by a career resurgence from departed QB Sam Darnold, the Vikings are set to hand the franchise over to 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy in 2025. Minnesota RB Aaron Jones outlined why he’s confident in McCarthy and cited his preparation. 

“J.J.’s a winner,” Jones said, via Good Morning Football. “If you look from high school through his time in college, he’s lost one career game. He came in [and] in his short time there, he was balling. The preseason, he ended up getting hurt, unfortunately. But I think it might’ve been a quarterback battle if he didn’t get hurt. He’s different. He’s a competitor. He wants to be great and he’s hungry.”

“Just the way — he’s very methodical in everything he does. So, attention to detail, he’s fully dove in and then some. I’m excited to even be in the backfield with him, take some handoffs, and have him throw it to me, too.”