Why I'm Buying the Early Chicago Bears Hype Around Jordan van den Berg

Early evidence suggests the Bears might have found something special with their sixth round selection of Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg.

Sep 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive lineman Jordan van den Berg (99) rushes the passer against the Temple Owls in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

You would have to be living under a rock to avoid the hype surrounding Jordan van den Berg over the first two weeks of training camp. His teammates have raved about him at every opportunity, and he's already receiving first-team reps in practice.

Grady Jarrett on Jordan Van Den Berg:

“I think that guy is super athletic, he has a super bright future. He’s still learning a lot and he’s hungry to learn. We’re excited to have him and I think he would be a huge addition to the room and we would continue to have someone who… pic.twitter.com/DYhTzwxALi

— BearsMuse (@ChiBearsMuse) August 10, 2026

However, it can often be difficult to know what to trust at this stage of training camp. We've seen countless players look like phenoms in early August only to disappear when the regular season begins.

If the hype proves to be legit, then the sixth-round selection has probably already locked up his roster spot. Investing a heavy amount of belief in a late-round pick usually seems like a dangerous proposition, but there are a few reasons why the excitement seems justified in this instance.

He has a rare athletic profile

Oct 25, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg (99) reacts after a tackle against the Syracuse Orange in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Georgia Tech product has a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score. He blew every drill out of the water at his Pro Day, and that type of athleticism is tough to find.

Jordan Van den Berg was drafted in round 6 with pick 213 in the 2026 draft class. He scored a 10.00 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 2 out of 2278 DT from 1987 to 2026.https://t.co/iW4K4xO8ZS pic.twitter.com/jestNjaHJp

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 25, 2026

The only reason he was available as late as he was is that he is raw, but his physical traits could give him a baseline that sees him contributing while still learning on the fly. We might be seeing that happen in real time.

It'll probably take some time before he develops into an early-down threat. However, the team can rotate him in on passing downs to make the most of his traits right out of the gate. It wouldn't be surprising to see him finish the year with a couple of sacks if that comes to fruition.

Dennis Allen doesn't spare feelings.. and neither does the media

Jul 29, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen speaks during Chicago Bears Training Camp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Players hype up their teammates all the time. While the sheer amount of praise Jordan van den Berg has received is definitely promising, it's far from out of the ordinary.

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen giving his flowers to a sixth-round selection, and then reinforcing that praise via first-team reps in practice can appropriately be classified as "out of the ordinary", though. He always speaks his mind, and he also gave the rookie a glowing review last week.

"He's really taken to the coaching, and he plays with great pad level," Allen said. "He can get in a good stance and come off and strike at the line of scrimmage, and he's got some really good football instincts. He plays extremely hard. A lot of the things we saw on the tape at Georgia Tech, we're seeing a lot of those same athletic qualities show up."

#Bears DC Dennis Allen on Jordan van den Berg pic.twitter.com/Sv2KGGR7Wg

— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) August 9, 2026

Allen's thoughts were shared by former All-Pro offensive lineman Terron Armstead, who went to practice last week after working with the team's offensive line this offseason. He might not know van den Berg's name, but he thinks it could soon become a household one.

"They got a young guy, [number] 96 (van den Berg), I believe he's a rookie, he's impressive," Armstead said. "Pad level. He's twitchy. He's relentless. He has a motor. Still has things to learn of course, he's super young, but there's a lot of upside there. I apologize I don't have the name, but he'll make you learn his name soon."

The local media (and Armstead) also has nothing to gain from reporting inaccurate information in July and August, when fans are pining for virtually any news from camp. Training camp performances can be deceiving, but yellow journalism isn't exactly prevalent at this time of the year. Everyone is excited for the season, and bad reviews get just as many clicks as good ones.

With that said, it's also notable that virtually everyone is impressed with what they've seen from the sixth-round pick so far. We have to take the local media's word as bond when it comes to JVDB's performance, and he's received nothing but glowing reviews so far.

He'll have to flash in the preseason games (unless he doesn't play much in them, which would be telling) to sustain the momentum, but he still seems like a relative lock to make the roster at this point. The hype seems as real as it possibly could at this stage.