Jordan
Van Den Berg.
Jordan
Van Den Berg.
Georgia Tech· 6'3"· 310 lb· 4.94s 40
R6 · #213 · Chicago Bears"Freak testing and a single dominant season, arriving five years later than the athleticism suggested it should have."Pre-draft read
This defensive tackle frequently aligns to win with his explosive get-off. He primarily wins early at the point of attack. His raw upper-body strength is evident when engaging blockers. He demonstrates the ability to loop, cross-face, and pursue plays down the line, movements not typically seen from interior linemen. On tape, he increasingly translates his first-step quickness into tackles for loss, rather than overrunning plays.
His pass-rush arsenal remains somewhat limited, often relying on an initial win rather than a developed counter package. He can be affected by double-team blocks if he does not gain the immediate advantage at the snap. His arm length is functional but does not offer significant leverage recovery against wider blocks.
Van den Berg's explosive movement skills and power are best utilized in a one-gap 4-3 penetrating front, where he can consistently attack and disrupt offensive line spacing.
He projects as a rotational interior pass rusher in Year 1 with the ceiling to become a disruptive starting 3-technique.
A two-gap 3-4 scheme would nullify his primary strength, which is his ability to penetrate and get upfield quickly.
His unique athletic profile, combining explosive get-off and raw strength, makes him a threat in a scheme that prioritizes aggressive, one-gap play from its interior linemen.
Highlights: Jordan van den Berg
The team's own cut of the Georgia Tech tape that got him drafted 213th.
Jordan van den Berg, "The White Rhino" — all-22 vs Syracuse
Every snap of the Syracuse game he graded at 89.7, the single best film of his career.
Jordan van den Berg highlights reaction — 2026 NFL Draft
Breakdown of the pro-day testing and the 2025 breakout season.
This defensive tackle projects as a player whose rare athletic traits, evident in his 4.94 forty and 1.61 ten-yard split at 310 pounds, offer high upside for a team willing to develop his technique. He showed he could convert those traits into production in his final season, providing a clear path to a role as an interior disruptor.
He began his career as a zero-star walk-on, earned NJCAA first-team All-America honors, then spent three unproductive years at Penn State. His transfer to Georgia Tech in 2024 proved pivotal, culminating in a 2025 season with 11.0 TFL and a first-team All-ACC selection, demonstrating a significant late-career surge in production and individual impact within a less-dominant defensive front.
Evaluators were challenged by his late-career breakout and the absence of a combine invitation, which suggested a lower national consensus. While he addressed this at his pro day, his age and previous lack of production presented a trade-off. He was ultimately drafted in the sixth round, 213th overall, by a team willing to bet on the late-season film and testing numbers.
- 01
Rare Athleticism for Size
Explosive get-off for a 310-pound player, clocking a 1.61 ten-yard split and 4.19 short shuttle, indicating rare suddenness.
- 02
Exceptional Upper-Body Strength
Demonstrated by 35 bench press repetitions on his pro day, top-tier power for an interior lineman.
- 03
Significant Production Jump
In 2025, recorded 44 tackles, 11.0 TFL, and 29 pressures on 514 defensive snaps, a clear increase.
- 04
Consistent Senior Disruption
Earned first-team All-ACC honors with a 73.9 PFF grade, showing regular impact.
- 05
Active Ball Disruptor
Three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries across his collegiate career, showing awareness.
- 01
Limited Prior Impact
Accumulated only 26 tackles and 4.0 TFL over three seasons at Penn State before transferring.
- 02
Underdeveloped Pass Rush
Relying heavily on initial quickness and lacking a consistent secondary move or counter plan.
- 03
Vulnerable to Double Teams
His 32⅛-inch arm length offers less recovery leverage when not gaining immediate advantage at the snap.
- 04
Age Factor Concern
Will be 24 years old at the start of his rookie spring, with his breakout year occurring at 23.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.94sp50
- Vertical
- 36inp50
- Broad jump
- 119inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- 4.19sp50
- Bench
- 35repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Penn State | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Penn State | 13 | 9 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Penn State | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Georgia Tech | 13 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Georgia Tech | 13 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | — | 54 | 90 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- 2025: first-team All-ACC and Phil Steele honorable-mention All-America after a team-leading 11.0 TFL
- 2025: first-team Academic All-America — Georgia Tech's first in 23 years — and NFF Hampshire Honor Society
- 2024: second-team All-ACC in his first season in Atlanta, and a spot on Bruce Feldman's Freaks List
- 2020: NJCAA first-team All-America and first-team All-ICCAC at Iowa Western Community College
- Two-time Academic All-Big Ten at Penn State; 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl preseason watch list
- Zero-star recruit out of Providence Christian Academy who walked on at Iowa Western
- Not invited to the 2026 NFL Combine; tested at Georgia Tech's pro day on March 13, 2026
- 2026 NFL Draft: sixth round, 213th overall
A rotational Bears interior defender who plays real snaps on athletic tools while the rush plan catches up.
An undersized-for-the-role, explosive interior player who turns get-off into a decade of penetration.
Late-round testing marvel who never converts the explosion into consistent NFL disruption.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
The interesting question is not whether he is athletic — the pro day settled that — but why it took until year five. Three seasons at Penn State produced 4.0 tackles for loss; two at Georgia Tech produced 16.0. Either Penn State's rotation was hiding a starter, or he genuinely only learned to play the position at 23. Chicago is paying a sixth-round price to find out, which is the right price.
Georgia Tech's 2025 front got worse around him — line yards allowed climbed from 2.50 to 2.98 and the stuff rate collapsed from 26.5% to 18.6% — and his numbers still doubled, which is the strongest single piece of evidence in the file.
Note that the widely-circulated "perfect 10.00 RAS" figure traces to one secondary blog and could not be confirmed on Kent Lee Platte's own database, so no RAS is published here.