Jordan van den Berg

Jordan van den Berg (born April 12, 2002) is a South African professional football defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Western Reivers, Penn State Nittany Lions and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Van den Berg was selected by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL draft.

Early life Van den Berg was born on April 12, 2002, in Johannesburg, South Africa. His grandmother, Joan Rocci, was a national record-setting swimmer, while his grandfather, Francoise, was a competitive bodybuilder. Growing up in South Africa, he played rugby and cricket. His family moved to the U.S. when he was ten. After moving to the U.S., van den Berg played basketball and baseball but his parents initially opposed the idea of him playing football, only allowing him to start when he was a high school sophomore.

Van den Berg played three years for the football team at Providence Christian Academy in Lilburn, Georgia, breaking a record for most career tackles. Despite his performance, van den Berg was a zero-star prospect and received little attention as a college recruit. His play at Iowa Western drew interest from several major colleges, and later in 2021 he transferred to the Penn State Nittany Lions. After having been a defensive end in junior college, he became a defensive tackle for Penn State and appeared in four games before redshirting during the fall 2021 season, recording two TFLs and a sack.

In his second year at Penn State, van den Berg appeared in 13 games, recording nine tackles, 1.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks.

Van den Berg was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round with the 213th overall pick of the 2026 NFL draft. He signed his rookie contract on May 8.