The Chicago Bears were very commonly projected to go after defensive linemen early in 2026 NFL mock draft scenarios, but they surprisingly passed on taking any over the first two days of the draft.
In fact, the Bears didn't take a defensive lineman until the 6th round of the 2026 NFL Draft, where they selected Georgia Tech's Jordan van den Berg. The process of waiting until the 6th round wasn't received in an overwhelmingly positive way by the Bears' fan base, but the more everyone digs into the van den Berg pick, the more it looks like the Bears pulled off something special by getting him where they did.
In fact, according to a report for ESPN, the Bears might have aims on fast-tracking van den Berg in a way you don't typically see for 6th-round picks, and for one major reason: He's as rare of an athlete as you will find at the position.
Chicago Bears extremely high on 6th-round NFL Draft steal Jordan van den Berg
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently had this to say in his report about the van den Berg pick, and how the Bears can't seem to contain their excitement for him:
"The Bears believe they're getting a steal with sixth-round defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg out of Georgia Tech. 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 the more gifted defensive tackles in the draft."
- Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
About those testing numbers...
Jordan Van den Berg was drafted in round 6 with pick 213 in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 10.00 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 2 out of 2278 DT from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/iW4K4xO8ZS pic.twitter.com/jestNjaHJp
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 25, 2026
The more you dig into this pick for the Bears, the more interesting it gets.
van den Berg is a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, who moved to Atlanta when he was young. He started off as a rugby player, making the transition to the linebacker position, but didn't generate any interest coming up to the college ranks, and then added 40 pounds to play on the defensive line. It didn't take him long to get noticed by Penn State, where he transferred from the JUCO ranks and played for three seasons before finishing out his collegiate career for two years at Georgia Tech.
His production exploded this past season with a team-leading 11 tackles for loss and a First-Team All-ACC selection. Even though he's already 24 years old, the potential for him as a disruptive force on the interior defensive line is sky-high.
This was a great pick by the Bears, even if it would have looked better on paper paired up with another defensive lineman earlier on (Lee Hunter, Christen Miller, etc.). The Bears need players like this to throw into the rotation immediately. His combination of athleticism, explosiveness, and strength will immediately make him a handful for interior linemen to deal with.
And the Bears clearly feel the same.
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