Chicago Bears recruit an elite South African athlete

The Chicago Bears selected South African-born defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg (Georgia Tech) with the No. 213 overall pick (6th round) in the 2026 NFL Draft. Known as a "freak athlete," van den Berg recorded a perfect 10.00 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) and impressed with 35 bench press reps and a 1.61-second 10-yard split at his pro day. Chicago Bears Official Website +4

Key Details of Jordan van den Berg's Testing & Profile:

1. Background: Hails from Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to the Atlanta area at age 10.
2. Athletic Testing: Scored a perfect 10.00 out of 10.00 on Platte's RAS, ranking second all-time among defensive tackle prospects tested since 1987.
3. Pro Day Highlights: Registered 35 reps on the bench press (225 pounds), clocked a 4.90 in the 40-yard dash, and a 1.61-second 10-yard split. Chicago Official Website +1
4. Physical Traits: Stands 6-3 and 310 pounds, demonstrating elite explosiveness and quickness off the ball. Yahoo Sports Canada +2
5. Draft Note: He is reported as the first South African-born player to be drafted in the NFL.
6. Collegiate Success: Spent his final seasons at Georgia Tech after starting at Iowa Western Community College and Penn State, registering 11 tackles-for-loss and 3 sacks in his last season. 2

This kid is grounded in the game unlike Rees-Zammit and given his physical attributes, could be a future great. If that happens players like the young Etzebeth and Venter could find a lucrative alternative to rugby.

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Smart by the 10…terrific try

Looked him up, seems a proper chunky lad. Good for him.

Nice to see you also succumbing to the random thread match commenting, Moz. The club is growing.

The really humiliating thing is I had already eliminated a ‘wrong string’ once before on this thread. Is this the future? Hahaha!

Yes, that is called "showing off" in the club, and it IS frowned upon, so reign it in.

Great to read about his selection with the Bears.

Trust he will have a very successful and an injury free career in the NFL.

Well done.