Jordan van den Berg NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Chicago Bears DT

Matt HolderApr 16, 2026

The Chicago Bears selected Georgia Tech DT Jordan van den Berg with the No. 213 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Jordan van den Berg put up elite testing numbers at Georgia Tech's pro day to be worth taking a flier on in the late rounds of the draft. However, he's a sixth-year senior whose technique is all over the place.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, van den Berg played rugby in his home country before moving to the United States at 10 years old and picking up football as a sophomore in high school.

A linebacker at the prep level, he switched to defensive line at Iowa Western Community College and was a 3-star recruit in the 2021 JUCO class who originally went to Penn State. The former Nittany Lion was a backup for three years, collecting 26 tackles, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 28 games at Happy Valley.

van den Berg transferred to Georgia Tech for his last two seasons of eligibility, earning first- and second-team All-ACC honors in 2025 and 2024, respectively, by racking up 67 tackles, 16 TFLs and four sacks in 26 games.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Highlights

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Scroll down for the complete scouting report.

Where He Wins

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 05 Duke at Georgia Tech

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- van den Berg earned a perfect 10.00 RAS for his pro day performance, highlighted by a 1.61-second 10-yard split, 36" vertical jump, 4.19-second short shuttle and hitting 35 reps on the bench press. He also has good size for a 3-technique defensive tackle.

- Pretty quick off the ball with a good get-off to be a solid one-gap penetrator.

- When slanting, he combines initial quickness with decent lateral movement skills and the ability to get skinny to slip blocks and get penetration.

- Athleticism helps him break down and work flat down the line of scrimmage to avoid getting too far up the field after getting penetration.

- Has natural strength to hold his gap as a run defender despite having poor technique, even against combo blocks occasionally.

- Plenty of upper-body strength to get extension on blocks when he starts using his hands more frequently. Helps that he has good genes; his grandfather, Fancois van den Berg, was a bodybuilder in South Africa.

Areas of Improvement

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Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

- van den Berg will be an older rookie after turning 24 in mid-April. He's also a sixth-year senior who played for two Power 4 conference programs and still has significant technique issues.

- First-step footwork is inconsistent, sometimes false-stepping, stepping with the wrong foot or hopping out of his stance.

- Bends at the waist instead of the knees to get low, which can cause him to be off-balance and end up on the ground when taking on blocks.

- Uses his head first when engaging with offensive linemen and often has his head down at the point of contact, leading to no extension and making it impossible to shed blocks.

- Block recognition is late and has subpar gap integrity, leading to him being out of position occasionally, especially against reach or scoop blocks.

- Doesn't use his hands as a pass-rusher either, and lacks leg drive through contact, making his bull rush ineffective.