The Chicago Bears were forced into a difficult situation last year. Everybody knew they needed help at running back. New head coach Ben Johnson wanted to run the ball and preferred a stacked position group to make that happen. However, as the 2025 draft unfolded, the board kept drifting away from them every time an opportunity to get one was there. Rather than force the issue and just take anybody, general manager Ryan Poles elected to follow his board and take the best players. Not until the 7th round did the Bears finally land somebody. That was Kyle Monangai of Rutgers.
It was a major disappointment for fans. This was not one of the flashy names they’d been hoping for. What could this unassuming kid offer the team? They soon found out. Monangai accounted for 947 total yards from scrimmage and scored five touchdowns, helping to produce the NFL’s #3 rushing attack. By not chasing the board, the Bears produced one of their best draft classes in years and still landed a good running back. Is it possible lightning may have just struck twice in 2026?
According to prominent Bears draft expert Jacob Infante, he believes that is the case with the arrival of Jordan Van Den Berg.
Jordan Van Den Berg arrived the same way Kyle Monangai did.
As last year, fans and media entered the draft fixated on a single position. Instead of running back, this time it was the defensive line. The Bears had struggled to apply pressure on the quarterback or stop the run in 2025. Weakness up front was a big part of that. They needed to add somebody to help. Yet just like last year, the board seemed to tilt away from them every time there was a chance to do so. Five edge rushers went before they picked in the 1st round. Six went before they picked in the 2nd round.
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As before, Poles didn’t rise to the bait. He took safety Dillon Thieneman in the 1st and center Logan Jones in the 2nd. The GM refused to be a prisoner of need. However, an opportunity finally came late in the draft. Seeing a cluster of defensive tackles still available, the Bears packaged both of their 7th round picks in a deal for Buffalo’s 6th round pick. This moved them up high enough to grab Georgia Tech’s Jordan Van Den Berg. While far from a household name, the South African native had an enticing 2025 season with three sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. He was also rated as the most athletic defensive tackle in the entire class.
Van Den Berg is fully capable of taking the Monangai route.
The Bears running back had one thing going for him last year. He was a proven commodity, having produced back-to-back productive seasons in college. People largely knew what he offered. With Van Den Berg, there is a little more projection involved. His first three years in college saw him stuck as a backup on a loaded Penn State team. This forced him to transfer to Georgia Tech. He showed promise in his first year with a sack, five tackles for a loss, and two recovered fumbles. Then came his final season, where he led all defensive linemen in tackles (44), all defenders in tackles for a loss (11), and was second in sacks (3).
He didn’t just do this against scrubs either. Van Den Berg had some strong performances against Georgia, Pitt, Boston College, and Virginia Tech. Those are legitimate programs. Such was the case with Kyle Monangai at Rutgers. Don’t focus on the draft position. Focus on the player. Is Van Den Berg talented enough to play in the NFL? Yes. He made significant progress in his final college season, doing so against quality competition. If he gets an opportunity to play this year, Infante is correct. He may surprise, just like Monangai did.
