From Bay Port High School To The NFL Draft

GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Cole Van Lanen is going to live out a dream.

The former Bay Port star and Wisconsin offensive lineman was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

“I’m just very very excited and at a loss for words,” Van Lanen said.

Van Lanen, the 214th overall pick, is the third offensive lineman the Packers have selected in the draft, following Ohio State center Josh Myers (second round) and Mississippi tackle Royce Newman (fourth round).

Van Lanen starred in both football and track and field at Bay Port. He was a two-time, first-team all-state by Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and Associated Press as a junior and senior.

Van Lanen was a two-time Fox River Classic Conference offensive lineman of the year and first-team All-FRCC selection. He also swept discus and shot put titles at 2015 Wisconsin Division 1 state meet as a junior, finishing as the state runner-up in both discus and shot put as a sophomore.

Van Lanen is the first Bay Port graduate to be drafted into the NFL since fellow Badger Dan Buenning in 2005 (fourth round, Tampa Bay).