Check out Luke Van Ness’s father smack that ass after his son gets drafted #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/6ptxQimvzf
— Kenny Lay (Parody) (@EnronChairman) April 29, 2023
Update:
There was an awkward moment during the NFL Draft on Thursday night after it was announced Lukas Van Ness was selected in the first round by the Green Bay Packers. A moment of celebration for a proud father crossed a line after he gave his son’s girlfriend a good squeeze on the butt.
Van Ness is dating Frankie Kmet, who is the sister of the Chicago Bears tight end, who was over at the house for the party.
After Lukas gave everyone the good news, Frankie gave Lukas’ dad a high-five and hug. Dad Van Ness returned the gestures with a smack on her butt.
The gesture is common on the football field but likely crosses a weird line among parents, sons, and their girlfriends.
The internet certainly picked up on the moment as it quickly went viral.
Original:
Steve Batterson
Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa
Lukas Van Ness and Jack Campbell of Iowa, Will McDonald IV of Iowa State and Devon Witherspoon of Illinois all made history Thursday
Not only were each selected in the first round of NFL Draft, they each carved out their own niche the history of their respective college football programs.
Van Ness, taken by the Green Bay Packers with the 13th pick, and Campbell, chosen by the Detroit Lions with the 18th choice, gave the Hawkeyes multiple first-round draft picks for just the fourth time in the program’s history.
McDonald, selected by the New York Jets at 15th, became the Cyclones’ first first-round draft pick in 50 years and Witherspoon became the first Fighting Illini defensive back ever to be taken among the top five in the draft, picked fifth by the Seattle Seahawks.
All four heard their names called during the opening round of the three-day, seven-round NFL draft being held for the first time in Kansas City, Mo.
Van Ness landed in a familiar spot for Hawkeye defenders.
He is the sixth Iowa defensive player and the seventh Hawkeye overall to be drafted by Green Bay in the past 22 years, the first since defensive back Josh Jackson was taken in the second round in 2018.
The 6-foot-5, 272-pound edge rusher who opted to forego his final two years of collegiate eligibility watched Thursday’s first-round selections with his family in his hometown of Barrington, Ill.
He helps fill a potential need with the Packers as the return of veteran Rashan Gary from an anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered in November remains undetermined at this point. Gary and Preston Smith topped Green Bay’s depth chart at the position entering last season.
Van Ness shared the Iowa team lead in sacks in each of the last two seasons, finishing with seven as a redshirt freshman in 2021 while playing primarily on the inside of the line and 6.5 last fall when he lined up primarily at end. Van Ness led the team with 11 tackles for a loss last season.
A second-team all-Big Ten selection in 2022 as a sophomore, Van Ness did not start a game for the Hawkeyes as part of an eight-player rotation on Iowa’s defensive line but finished behind only tackle Logan Lee in the number of snaps he took last season among Hawkeye linemen.
The first Iowa defensive back taken in the opening round of the draft since Tampa Bay chose Adrian Clayborn in 2011, Van Ness helped himself with his performance at the NFL Combine.
There, he ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash and displayed the versatility that could lead him to playing time either inside or out on the defensive front.
Campbell, the Butkus Award-winning Big Ten defensive player of the year and linebacker of the year, joins a Detroit team in need of hardnosed defender in the core of its defense.
A 28-game starter for Iowa who has topped 100 tackles in each of the past two seasons, Campbell led Iowa with 128 tackles last season.
A consensus first-team all-American who insisted on being part of Iowa’s special teams throughout his career, Campbell finished his senior season with a team-leading 60 solo tackles including 5.5 for a loss and one sack.
He also intercepted two passes, broke up five more and both forced and recovered a fumble.
The 6-5, 249-pound Cedar Falls, Iowa, native gave Iowa much more than a productive player at middle linebacker.
He was a leader off the field and in the classroom as well and in December became the Hawkeyes’ first-ever recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy as the top scholar-athlete in college football.
McDonald is just the second ISU player ever to be taken in the opening round of the draft, the since the Houston Oilers chose running back George Amundson with the 14th pick in 1973.
He earned that opportunity after rewriting both the Big 12 and Iowa State record books during his career.
The 6-4, 239-pound edge from Milwaukee tied the conference mark and set an ISU standard with 34 career sacks and tied an Iowa State career record by forcing 10 fumbles.
After sharing the national lead with 10.5 sacks in 2020, McDonald shared Big 12 defensive lineman of the year honors after recording 11.5 sacks in 2021.
He faced double teams throughout much of the 2022 season but earned all-conference recognition from conference coaches for the third time in his career while finishing with five sacks and 7.5 tackles for a loss.
Illinois was the only power-five program to offer Witherspoon a scholarship and he accepted just four days before fall camp opened in 2019.
Thursday, he became the Fighting Illini’s 21st first-round draft pick and its first player to taken in the initial round since defensive end Whitney Mercilus and wide receiver A.J. Jenkins were taken in 2012 by the Texans and 49ers, respectively.
Only five Illinois players, first-round pick Jeff George in 1990, second-round pick Kevin Hardy in 1996 and third-round picks Joe Rutgens in 1961, Dick Butkus in 1965 and Simeon Rice in 1996, were taken higher in the draft than Witherspoon.
The 6-1, 180-pound cornerback from Pensacola, Fla., who chose to forego his final year of eligibility, became a consensus all-American last fall when he became the Fighting Illini’s first-ever finalist for the Thorpe Award in addition to be chosen as the Big Ten defensive back of the year.
Witherspoon finished with 40 tackles last season while intercepting three passes and breaking up 14 more in 12 starts for Illinois.
The draft behind held at Union Station in Kansas City continues with second and third rounds on Friday at 6 p.m. followed by the final four rounds starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
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