GREEN BAY, Wis. — Micah Parsons has served several roles in his short time with the Green Bay Packers: dominant pass rusher, team leader and mentor for young edge rushers, among them.He also added the title of president of the Lukas Van Ness Fan Club, which doesn’t seem to be too big a club these days. Not after Van Ness, a 2023 first-round pick, has sputtered through his first three NFL seasons because of injuries and a lack of production when healthy.Parsons, however, has always been in Van Ness’ corner. And when a player of Parsons’ caliber sees something in his No. 2, perhaps it’s worth keeping faith entering a put-up-or-shut-up season for the former first-rounder.“I think Luke is someone that people sleep on the most, and I don’t know why,” Parsons said of Van Ness. “I think by the end of this season, if Luke stays healthy, I think he’ll probably be the favorite. That’s how much confidence I have in him.”How Micah Parsons' ACL rehab is progressing and when he could returnMatt SchneidmanWait, like, a fan favorite? Someone whom fans have seemed to grow frustrated with after posting just 8.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss in three years? Hyperbole or not, Parsons believes in the 24-year-old.“I definitely think I’m going to have my hands full with Luke on who’s going to be the best,” the reigning first-team All-Pro said. “I believe in him. I think sometimes, he looks into y’all and that gets to him, but I think he can be as great as he wants to be.”“I’ve learned a lot from Micah over the past year,” Van Ness added. “He’s taught me a lot about how I can improve and work on my game. He’s just a really good dude, a really good guy and a good guy to have in my corner.”Van Ness was hitting his stride last season, finally, when he injured his foot while sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco in Week 6. The injury took longer to heal than the Packers anticipated, and Van Ness missed seven games because of it — five initially and two more after suffering a setback in Week 12.Still, the Packers showed their faith in Van Ness by exercising his fifth-year option and guaranteeing his 2027 salary. In that sense, perhaps there’s not as much pressure on Van Ness as there would’ve been had the Packers left him in a contract year. But he still understands the magnitude of this season — “obviously this is a big year,” he said, regarding himself — and he’s not naive enough to pretend like it’s all butterflies and rainbows when his name comes up outside the walls of Lambeau Field.His goal for this season, however, is to have fun playing football again. That hasn’t always been the case in recent years. He’s doing that now, which was evident during a recent minicamp practice that he wrecked.“Van Ness was flying around, man,” quarterback Jordan Love said after the aforementioned practice. “I think the biggest thing with him is his get-off. He was getting off the rock today, and he’s got that speed that puts tackles in a bind. They gotta make sure they’re getting off at the same time as him. If not, he’s going to beat you around that corner. I’m excited about him. I’m excited for him and what’s going to come this season. He’s in a great spot. He puts the work in, and he’s a guy that he’s always making practice hard on us.”Van Ness said in new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s system, he can showcase his versatility playing at different spots across the line and at different levels of the field, and play free without thinking, which is when he believes he’s at his best. Van Ness also said Gannon’s defense allows him to be more involved verbally on the field when making calls along the defensive line, which he “really enjoys” because it helps him play faster by verbalizing what he’s seeing in real time.“I think that with the last two years, two years ago dealing with my thumb and then this past year dealing with the foot injury, not the way I would have envisioned it going,” Van Ness said of his career so far. “I think I’ve learned a lot about myself internally. There’s a lot of noise out there, a lot of distractions and just focusing on guys in the building and the task at hand of just winning a Super Bowl. I’m feeling good. I’m feeling healthy. I’m getting back to normal again, and I feel good with where I’m at.“At the end of the day, I feel like talk is cheap. You’ve just got to put it out there when it matters.”Van Ness has taken notes from Parsons’ style of play, particularly learning to “get on guys quick” given his size and “not waiting 2, 3, 4 yards up the field” to utilize his pass-rush moves. He’s seen improvement in his game there, complementing an improved mental approach he credits former Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary for helping to cultivate.“I think also being a first-round pick coming in, kind of had a similar career path that I did, had his ACL, dealt with injuries,” Van Ness said of Gary, whom the Packers traded to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. “Just stayed on me with the motivation and the mental and just keep everything positive. … This is a tough job. Everyone would do it if it was easy. We expect that. Honestly, I love it. It’s cool to be a part of something that’s difficult and challenges you. I’m up for the challenge. I think you’ve just got to be able to process and move forward. I think that’s what I’ve done.”Lukas Van Ness will have an expanded role with Rashan Gary being traded to the Cowboys. (Mark Hoffman / Imagn Images)Van Ness claims to be up for a challenge, and his upcoming one will be his biggest yet. Parsons, who tore his ACL last December, might miss the first month and a half of the season while finishing his rehab. Van Ness will be the team’s No. 1 edge rusher for however long Parsons is out, with even more eyes on him than there have been so far as a first-round pick yet to truly break out.Whether he rises to the challenge or wilts under the pressure of it may not only determine how long he lasts in Green Bay, but also how well the Packers do without their best player.“I’m just excited, man,” Van Ness said. “I really love football, and I love this. It’s probably not been my ideal career if you would have talked to me in 2023 when I was a fresh rookie coming in here, but everyone’s got their own process and their own path. I’ve trusted the path. I feel really good about where I’m at.”