Like a barnstorming wrestler, all Bears rookie defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg needs is a finishing move. He has to develop a reliable way to shed a run-blocker and get past a pass-blocker.
Until then, though, the sixth-round pick will keep doing what earned him a roster spot and enabled the Bears to trade Gervon Dexter to the Falcons — use his otherworldly athleticism to sew chaos.
“A lot of times with defensive linemen, you can have a lot of hidden production where you’re just so disruptive that you create opportunities for other players,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said Wednesday. “And that’s probably where he’s at right now.”
Allen has delighted in it. This offseason, Allen decided he wanted his defensive line to get more explosive and play with more effort. Those traits are what made the 24-year-old South African the defensive star of training camp.
Case in point: In the third quarter of the Bears’ second preseason game, the 6-foot-3, 310-pound van den Berg leapt like Superman to try to tackle Bengals quarterback Sean Clifford as he scrambled out of bounds. He missed — but he went viral. His coaches noticed, too.
“They were proud of the effort …” van den Berg said. “I just try to attack every play with as much energy and passion as I can.”
He’s been exactly what the Bears needed. The Bears know the risks of leaning on the raw van den Berg as part of a defensive tackle rotation that includes likely starters Grady Jarrett and Kentavius Street as well as Neville Gallimore, who are all veterans. But they also know the upside that comes with it.
They drafted van den Berg because his athleticism was off the charts. They needed to find out whether he could play. The answer, at least through the preseason, is a resounding yes. Pro Football Focus ranked him 17th out of the 154 defensive tackles they graded during preseason games this year.
“He’s got all the skillset, he’s got the physicality, he’s got the effort,” Allen said.
Not bad for someone who wasn’t even invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
Born in Johannesburg, van den Berg moved to the Atlanta area at 10. A linebacker in high school — and a zero-star prospect — he went to Iowa Western Community College, where he gained 40 pounds and switched to defensive line. From there he transferred to Penn State, where he played sparingly, and later back home to Georgia Tech.
“He took the long road,” Bears national scout Brendan Rehor said.
He brought his loud tools with him. Relative Athletic Score is a rubric that measures the size, explosion, speed and agility of every NFL prospect. He scored a perfect 10.
There have been 2,098 defensive tackles measured since 1987. He has the second-best RAS ever recorded at the position — behind only the Eagles’ Jordan Davis, a first-round pick who signed a three-year, $78 million extension in March.
Athleticism runs in the family. His grandpa competed in Mr. Universe competitions and his grandma held South African swimming records.
“He has a mean streak,” defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett said. “He can bend, he can run. … Now it’s just honing it in to where he’s not so out of control.”
It’s a lot easier for coaches to have players dial their motors down than up. That’s why Johnson had to remind him, with a smile, not to hit the quarterback when he’s out of bounds.
“I’m still learning technique,” van den Berg said. “Trying to work on fundamentals.”
The rookie has been leaning on Bears veterans for tips, saying that his “development of the game — and my understanding through them — has just completely changed.” His position coach at Georgia Tech, Jess Simpson, made his players watch tape of Jarrett every day. Now van den Berg has the chance to pick his brain up close.
“He’s hungry to learn,” Jarrett said. “Hungry to work.”
