A South African walk-on who reshaped his body at a junior college, became one of the most disruptive interior linemen in the ACC, and tested as one of the most athletic defensive tackles ever measured.
Jordan van den Berg's road to the NFL ran through Johannesburg, a walk-on stint at Iowa Western Community College and stops at Penn State before he broke out at Georgia Tech. The Chicago Bears traded up to grab him in the sixth round of the 2026 draft, banking on rare athletic tools at defensive tackle.
Path to the league
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, van den Berg walked on at Iowa Western Community College, added roughly 40 pounds while moving to defensive line, and earned first-team JUCO All-American honors. He played at Penn State before transferring to Georgia Tech, and the Bears traded two seventh-round picks to move up and select him 213th overall in the sixth round of the 2026 draft.
Career highlights
At Georgia Tech, van den Berg started 20 of 26 games and totaled 67 tackles, four sacks and 16 tackles for loss, earning first-team All-ACC honors in 2025 after a second-team nod in 2024. He tested as one of the most athletic defensive tackles in modern combine history, running a 4.19-second 20-yard shuttle and posting a perfect 10.00 Relative Athletic Score.
2025 season recap
In his final college season, van den Berg led Georgia Tech with 11.0 tackles for loss, second nationally among defensive tackles, and tied for the team lead with 3.0 sacks while anchoring the interior of the Yellow Jackets' defensive line. He was also named Georgia Tech's first first-team Academic All-American in 23 years.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jordan van den Berg
- Chicago Bears: Bears select Jordan van den Berg 213th overall
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Georgia Tech
- Hometown
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
