With the No. 213 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg.
The Bears waited much longer than many expected to take their first (and only) defensive lineman in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, they aimed high with physical upside, taking an interior defender with a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletix Score, making him the second-most athletic defensive tackle in NFL Draft history.
A JUCO contributor at Iowa Western to begin his collegiate career,
the South African native van den Berg was a backup at Penn State for three years before transferring to Georgia Tech for his final two years of collegiate eligibility.
It was with the Yellowjackets that van den Berg started to come into his own. His elite raw athleticism made him a disruptive run defender, and his physicality and play strength showed up well at the point of attack, too.
As I’ve done since 2019, I put together a thread involving my analysis of each Bears draft selection, sharing some clips that highlight their strengths along the way. This year is certainly no different, so here’s my quick-hit evaluation of the Bears selecting van den Berg in Round 6.
THE NUMBERS
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 310 pounds
RAS: 10.0
2025 PFSN DT Impact Score: 81.7 (24th in the FBS)
2025 tackles: 44
2025 tackles for a loss: 11
2025 sacks: 3
List of accomplishments: 2024 second-team All-ACC, 205 first-team All-ACC
