Jordan van den Berg always seemed destined to excel at some sport during his life. It just depended on which one he’d choose.

Van den Berg comes from an athletic family. His grandfather was a five-time Mr. South Africa bodybuilder. His grandmother held multiple South African swimming records and represented South Africa in the Empire Games.

So when he and his family came over to the United States from South Africa when he was 10, Van den Berg had to determine which sport he’d continue the family tradition in.

Nearly 14 years later, Van den Berg got his answer. It’d be football after the Chicago Bears selected him in the sixth round of the NFL Draft at No. 213.

“I’ve always loved the physicality of sport,” Van den Berg told reporters virtually Saturday. “I used to love playing rugby and wrestling and I’ve always loved the physicality of it.”

Van den Berg had a long journey to get to this moment.

He started playing football during his sophomore year of high school as a wide receiver. As he got bigger, Van den Berg then transitioned over to middle linebacker his junior and senior year before he moved to the defensive line and eventually landed at defensive tackle.

He started playing college football with Iowa Western Community College in 2021 before he spent three seasons at Penn State in a mostly reserve role.

That changed once he reached Georgia Tech in 2024. Van den Berg played in all 13 games and had seven starts with 23 tackles five for a loss, and a sack. He earned Second Team All-ACC for his season.

Van den Berg took another major step last season for the Yellow Jackets. He started all 13 games and finished with 44 tackles, 11 for a loss, with three sacks and a blocked kick. That led to a First Team All-ACC honor as his explosiveness helped him become a disruptor from the middle of the line.

“I feel like that’s something I pride myself on, being able to be strong at the point of attack like with my broad jump and my vert,” Van den Berg said. “That’s something I really take pride in. Every day I’m training, I’m trying to go as fast as I can.”

Chicago traded their final two draft picks to get into the sixth round to get him. The Bears traded Nos. 239 and 241 to move up to No. 213.

At 6-foot-3, 310 pounds, Van den Berg plays well with speed given how big his frame is. Bears defensive coaches had been pounding the table for Van den Berg over the past couple weeks.

When they got an opportunity to go after him, the Bears decided they couldn’t pass up his physical traits.

“So it’s a pretty explosive, twitchy kid,” Bears national scout Brendan Rehor said. “So, [defensive coordinator Dennis] Allen, our biggest goal going into this week was to get faster or more explosive on defense. And I think this kid kind of fits that, what we want to do. He’s an upfield penetrator. He ran well obviously to your point, he tested well, some of the short area stuff. You see this kid get on edges a lot. That was the biggest thing that jumped off to us on tape.”

Van Den Berg will try to provide a boost in a defensive tackle group that struggled to be consistent. He’ll join a group that features veteran Grady Jarrett, who will be 33 this season, and Gervon Dexter, who’s entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Jarrett was one of the defensive tackles Van den Berg aspired to watch. His defensive line coach at Georgia Tech, Jess Simpson, was Jarrett’s defensive line coach at the Atlanta Falcons.

Van den Berg was excited to work with Jarrett and the rest of the room.

“I know you guys have a lot of talent and I feel like I’m able to bring some of the pieces that you guys have,” Van den Berg said. “I feel like I’m able to dive deep into backfields and make plays, and I feel like you guys are a very aggressive front, so that’s something that really fits me.”