The Bears snagged a top defensive talent late in the draft, boasting elite testing numbers. They see a gem poised to make an immediate impact.
The Chicago Bears were hesitant to draft a defensive lineman early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Bears struggled to sack the quarterback and stop the run last season. Chicago managed only 35 sacks, ranking 22nd in the NFL, even with Montez Sweat's 10 sacks in 2025.
The Bears also allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game, making an edge rusher or defensive tackle a high priority.
Chicago took Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, Iowa center Logan Jones, Stanford tight end Sam Roush, LSU receiver Zavion Thomas, Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad and Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott all before a defensive lineman.
They addressed the need in the sixth round with Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan Van Den Berg.
General Manager Ryan Poles is no stranger to finding hidden gems in the later rounds of previous drafts.
Just last year, he found Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai in the seventh round, who ended up starting for the Bears and finishing second on the team in rushing yards (783).
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Bears' organization believes they have found another late-round steal in Van Den Berg. Fowler thinks that the Bears' plans for Van Den Berg include more than just a typical sixth-rounder.
"The Bears believe they're getting a steal with sixth-round defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg out of Georgia Tech," Fowler said. "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."
Van Den Berg started his college career at Iowa Western Community College in 2020. He was a First-Team JC All-American before transferring to Penn State in 2021. He redshirted his first season but still struggled to find consistent playing time in the three seasons he spent there.
Van Den Berg transferred to Georgia Tech in 2024 and his production took off. He recorded a combined 67 total tackles, 16 TFLs and four sacks in the two seasons he spent at Georgia Tech.
He ended his time with the Yellow Jackets as First-Team All-ACC.
Poles did fairly well in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Besides Monangai, three of the other players he picked went on to start as rookies. Colston Loveland, Luther Burden and Ozzy Trapilo found their way early on into their NFL careers.
Can Van Den Berg be the next player to do so under Poles? The Bears seem to think so.