NFL Draft: Jordan van den Berg (DT, Georgia Tech) scouting report

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 | Brett Davis-Imagn Images Every draft cycle has a surprise story — a player who slipped through the cracks, defied expectations, and made evaluators question what they missed. In 2026, that story belongs to Jordan van den Berg, a name most draft rooms weren’t tracking until very recently.

A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, van den Berg’s path to the NFL reads like a screenplay nobody would greenlight: zero recruiting stars as a high school linebacker, a walk-on spot at Iowa Western Community College, a 40-pound position transition to defensive lineman, and a first-team JUCO All-American honor that finally put him on the map at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets didn’t just land a prospect. They landed a convert — someone who plays with the frantic urgency of a man who knows precisely how close he came to never playing the game at all.

His combine snub, apparently the result of scouts dismissing a limited track record of dominant production, was answered loudly at Georgia Tech’s pro day. When the stopwatch and tape measure came out, van den Berg didn’t just perform well. He delivered one of the most stunning athletic showings of the entire pre-draft cycle.

He ran a 4. 94-second 40-yard dash at 310 pounds. He posted 35 reps on the bench press.