The Chicago Bears walked away from the 2026 NFL Draft with one of the best defensive prospects. Their selection of Oregon Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman with the 25th overall pick helps solidify the secondary of Chicago’s defense as they pair him with big free agent signing Coby Bryant.
While it was a wise choice to address their backend unit with their first round pick, it may not have been a great choice to target their front-end unit until the sixth round.
Heading into the draft, adding to Chicago’s front-seven appeared to be a priority. The Bears boasted the eighth-worst pass rush unit in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. Pair that with their heavy involvement in attempting to trade for an edge presence in the offseason, like Maxx Crosby, and a high-draft pick lineman felt inevitable.
However, general manager Ryan Poles and the front office’s only addition to this unit was their final selection of the entire draft. The Bears added defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg out of Georgia Tech.
GettyGeorgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg recorded 44 total tackles, with 11 tackles for loss, and three sacks in 2025.
ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler initially reported that, based on what he’s heard, the Bears believed they were getting a steal in the sixth round.
“Several of his testing numbers hit the highest mark on the Bears’ internal scouting scale,” Fowler stated. “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.”
However, while those sentiments may certainly still be the case, it’s been reported that the rookie hasn’t gotten off to the best start.
Jordan van den Berg Going Through Growing Pains At Bears Minicamp
Sports Illustrated’s Mike Moraitis listed van den Berg as one of the players who struggled most at Mandatory Minicamp.
This was based on a report from a Chicago Bears beat reporter, Howard Bigs, who posted on X, “Jordan [van den Berg] is struggling with his get-off. It’s a little bit slow. Then a couple times during individual period, he tried to anticipate it, resulting in him jumping offsides. Once he gets out of it, you can see the burst and explosion from his athleticism, but getting out on that first step, which is what they’ve been working on, he still has a bit of a ways to go on that.”
Perhaps there is nothing to worry about. It’s not surprising for a late-round draft choice not to pop off immediately. However, for a team with such high expectations and at a position of need, the Bears will likely need to rely on their gamble more than expected.
Jordan van den Berg’s Athleticism Is Off The Charts
While the short-term outcome of van den Berg’s development may be a tad underwhelming, the long-term outcome is what fans should be excited about. Simply put, van den Berg is an athletic freak. He ranked second of 2,098 defensive tackles from 1987 to 2026 with a perfect 10.00 Raw Athletic Score.
Behind only Jordan Davis, who has a huge lead that’ll be tough to best.
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When looking at his full scouting report, NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein wrote, “Elite testing numbers at his pro day will send scouts back to the tape for further evaluation. He possesses disruptive first-step quickness and heavy hands to beat blocks. He carries average mass and below-average length. He needs to prove he can take on NFL blockers at the point of attack. The career production looks a little light on paper, but van den Berg appears to possess translatable traits that could entice a team with a one-gapping defensive front to draft him on Day 3.”
Lo and behold, that prediction rang true, and now, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has the task of molding the 24-year-old rookie into the player they all hope he can be.
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