New Bears Rumors Reveal 'Steal' in Late Round, Backup Option to Dillon Thieneman on Draft Big Board

The Chicago Bears entered the offseason with glaring needs along their defensive line and didn't make any headline moves to address them, but they reportedly believe they landed a "steal" in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL draft who can help.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday the NFC North team sees Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg as "a steal." 

Chicago selected him in the sixth round after many of the more notable defensive tackles were off the board, but Fowler pointed out "several of his testing numbers hit the highest mark on the Bears' internal scouting scale. My sense is the Bears have plans for him beyond that of a typical sixth-round flier and believe he was one of more gifted defensive tackles in the draft."

The Bears could have addressed defensive line in the first round at No. 25 overall but instead chose Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman. Safety was also an area of need, and the Bears jumped at the chance to take Thieneman since him still being available that late was surprising.

"The Bears eyed a trade-up in the second round but chose to stand pat," Fowler wrote. "They were high on Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, who went No. 37 to the Giants. Chicago figured its No. 25 pick, Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, would be gone in the top 20, so perhaps Hood would've been a viable fallback option there if Thieneman was off the board."

Dillon Thieneman highlights

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If Thieneman pairs with Coby Bryant and solidifies the back end of Chicago's defense, it will be an excellent pick. 

B/R's NFL Scouting Department gave the 25th pick an "A" grade and added, "In any other class, Dillon Thieneman would have been the incoming group's top-ranked safety. He just happened to be in the same class as Caleb Downs. That's OK. The Chicago Bears should be thrilled that he remained available until he was selected with the 25th overall pick."

As for van den Berg, it ranked him as the 24th-best defensive lineman in the class going into the draft.

All indications are the Bears are higher on the Georgia Tech product than others, and it would be a massive boost if they are correct. After all, they were 22nd in the league in sacks last season and didn't make any notable free agent additions along the defensive line to help change that.

General manager Ryan Poles gave a head-turning answer to the concerns when he told reporters, "The [defensive] line helps the back end more often than not. In this situation, we have good corners and good safeties. We can be in a position where we can have the [opposing] quarterback hold the ball a little longer."

Ideally, van den Berg will make sure quarterbacks aren't holding onto the ball too long.