Another vertical pass interception for Lions QB Jared Goff

A pair of first-round picks on one of college football’s best defenses in 2022 will square off on opposite sidelines for the first time tonight in Green Bay.

Green Bay defensive end Lukas Van Ness and Detroit linebacker Jack Campbell headlined Iowa’s top-ranked defense when it came to stop rate and yards per play allowed (3.99). The Packers picked Van Ness, who came out after his redshirt sophomore season, No. 13 overall. The Lions chose Campbell at No. 18.

There is immense respect for one another.

“Jack Campbell was a great leader on our defense,” Van Ness said at the NFL combine. “He was the guy when I came in as a freshman, he took me under his wing, and showed me the ropes. He's a guy that's super humble. He works hard, a small-town Iowa kid, just your ideal Iowa Hawkeye. We walked around together; a lot of people tend to mix us up. I think we look kind of similar.”

“With Lukas Van Ness, first and foremost a great guy, a great human being,” Campbell said. “But he’s also a hell of a football player, and I feel like his potential is through the roof.”

More directly, Van Ness also will go up against former college teammate Sam LaPorta, a tight end who was a second-round pick for Detroit (No. 34 overall). LaPorta and Campbell were college roommates while the tight end often battled Van Ness in blocking drills. They’ll likely go head-to-head on a few snaps Thursday.

“Lukas is a great player,” LaPorta said. “Everybody always talks about his physical abilities. I look past that. He played in an outstanding defense the last couple of seasons so it's his knowledge of the game. He’s extremely competitive. He's really agile for being 275 pounds. People keep bringing up he was a hockey player. I’m really excited for him, to see what he can do.”

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