Cole

Van Lanen

The Jaguars’ secondary took two notable hits this week, with Savage suffering a quad injury in practice and CB Tyson Campbell landing on injured reserve. The developments give the Browns’ flailing passing game a chance to keep pace, though little is guaranteed in that regard.

Jacksonville released veteran G Wes Martin in a corresponding move. Van Lanen, a Green Bay native, will head to Jacksonville after playing one year with the Packers. He was a sixth-round pick who appeared in one game during the 2021 regular season..

The Packers took a flyer on Van Lanen in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein described him as having a “debilitating length and a lack of athleticism in pass protection.” He could be stashed on the Packers’ practice squad as a developmental player. The Packers also waived/released QB Kurt Benkert, RB Dexter Williams, RB Patrick Taylor, WR Equanimeous St. Brown, WR Juwann Winfree, WR Reggie Begelton, WR Damon Hazelton, TE Bronson Kaufusi, OG Ben Braden, OG Jacob Capra, OG Coy Cronk, DL Carlo Kemp, DL Willington Previlon, DL Abdullah Anderson, LB Ray Wilborn, LB Tipa Galeai, LB De’Jon Harris, LB Delontae Scott, CB Stephen Denmark, CB Kabion Ento, CB Rojesterman Farris, S Innis Gaines, S Christian Uphoff, P JK Scott, and K JJ Molson.

The deal includes a $153,688 signing bonus. The Badgers’ left tackle in 2019, Van Lanen (6'4/305) earned honorable mention all-conference honors and followed that up first-team honors in his conference as a senior. Despite those accolades, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein sees a player with “debilitating length and a lack of athleticism in pass protection that will force a move to guard.” On the plus side, Zierlein does laud Van Lanen’s “mass” and intangibles. Even if guard is Van Lanen’s future home, his extensive tackle experience will give him five-position versatility up front, enhancing his odds of sticking on the Packers’ 53-man roster.

A 2016 redshirt, Van Lanen (6'4/305) spent five years in Madison, making just one start across the first three. The Badgers’ left tackle in 2019, he earned honorable mention all-conference honors. He made the first-team as a senior. Despite those accolades, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein sees a player with “debilitating length and a lack of athleticism in pass protection that will force a move to guard.” On the plus side, Zierlein does laud Van Lanen’s “mass” and intangibles. Even if guard is Van Lanen’s future home, his extensive tackle experience will give him five-position versatility up front, enhancing his odds of sticking on the Packers’ 53-man roster.

As Treash mentions early, Van Lanen was “phenomenal” in his redshirt sophomore season; posting a grade from Pro Football Focus of 90.8 PFF while ranking at the top of the pass and run blocking grades for that year. As he also notes, the 6-foot-5, 312-pound lineman was not nearly as good in 2018 with a grade of 72.4. Still, because of his production in 2018, it’s easy to understand why Van Lanen makes this list, and if he’s a semblance of the player he was as a redshirt sophomore, he’s going to be one of the best tackles in the game.

Van Lanen (6'5/312) is among the best tackles in college football, so losing him for any amount of time is a tough blow. Thankfully, if any team can replace an OL in a pinch, it’s the Badgers. Furthermore, Wisconsin face a weak Purdue team on Saturday and Van Lanen’s absence shouldn’t be the deciding factor in that game. Hopefully Van Lanen can make a return after this week.

While colleagues Mitch Light and Mark Ross went in a more surface-level-obvious direction, rolling with Penn State RB Ricky Slade as their conference breakout pick, Lassan is all agog for Van Lanen. The redshirt junior has appeared in all 27 of Wisconsin’s games over the past two seasons, making one start (at left tackle) last season. He is a killer in the run-blocking game, leading all returning FBS competitors with his PFF grade on that front during the 2018 campaign. While Lassan does diverge from his two colleagues on this preseason pick, he is not alone in seeing big things for Van Lanen upcoming. Back in March, 247Sports’ Chris Hummer likewise forwarded the lineman as a potential breakout performer for the fall. Van Lanen is set to take over as a full-time starter this coming season. Wisconsin will be working in several new starters on the line during August camp.

Van Lanen (6'5/311) returns for the 2019 season, and he’ll continue to open up huge holes for potential 2020 RB1 Jonathan Taylor. Van Lanen has already appeared in 27 games, so experience won’t be a worry when he declares for the 2020 NFL Draft. Clearly a good run-blocker, Van Lanen needs to improve as a pass-blocker to improve his draft stock.

Van Lanen (6'5/311) was a part-time starter for the Badgers in 2019, and as Hummer notes, he was Pro Football Focus’s top rated tackle when he was able to take the field last year. Him playing at that level would obviously be huge, but it’s even bigger considering Wisconsin lost four starters on the offensive line last year. “Van Lanen is all of a sudden one of the Badgers’ most experienced o-line pieces,” Hummer writes, “and Wisconsin needs him and rising junior center Tyler Biadasz to anchor an unproven unit.”