Now that the 2026 NFL Draft has been over for a few days, the excitement shifts to how the Chicago Bears will deploy these rookies going forward.
Whether the general consensus is good or bad regarding a specific pick doesn't really matter at this stage in the game, but fans are certainly looking for any and all positives they can get, especially about some of the lesser-known names.
One of those players who qualifies under that blanket is sixth-round pick Jordan van den Berg out of Georgia Tech. The Bears traded up to get him on Day 3 and, even though most fans didn't know anything about him, there's plenty of reason to get excited.
Dennis Allen may be able to deploy Jordan van den Berg in a way that makes him look like a Chicago Bears draft steal
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently wrote up a longer draft column and, when he got to the Bears, had this to say about the sixth rounder:
"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 more gifted defensive tackles in the draft."
Fowler is telling us what we want to hear at this point. Of course, we'd all like to be told van den Berg isn't your typical sixth-round pick. We want to believe the Bears got a steal and that van den Berg can make a much bigger impact than anyone would've originally thought.
But, when you also add in the fact that van den Berg scored a perfect 10.00 out of 10.00 in the RAS (Relative Athletic Score) in his pre-draft process, then it becomes a little more than just an opinion.
We know that Dennis Allen loves him some speedy defensive backs. But what we also need to remember is that Allen loves pure speed, regardless of position. That's a big reason the Bears went out and signed linebacker Devin Bush this offseason.
Van den Berg is one of the most physically gifted and athletic defensive linemen this league has ever seen, based on his testing. That can't count for nothing. And maybe the Bears are able to get more than what meets the eye out of him.
Last season, van den Berg totaled 11.0 tackles for loss with the Yellow Jackets. As an interior lineman, that's a fantastic example of pure disruption.
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Disruption and athleticism could equal a complete and total Bears draft steal, here, and fans should be looking forward to seeing what he does on the field come training camp.
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